Butler Township Commissioners moved forward with the Preston Park upgrade project Monday night.

At their meeting, the commissioners opened bids for the Preston Park project's second phase, and then tabled the bids for further review.

“Gateway (Engineers) will review the bid and make their recommendation for the next meeting,” said township manager Tom Knights.

Gregor Contracting in Renfrew submitted the lowest bid at $440,695. The highest bid came from SET in Lowellville, Ohio, at $596,277.

The entirety of the Preston Park project includes about 67 new parking spaces and a new public bathroom. “There is no restroom there,” Knights said.

The project's second phase would include running both public water and sewer to the anticipated bathroom.

Knights said the township is accepting bids for the paving portion of the project. He estimated the entire project will cost about $885,000.

Officers commended

While much of the meeting was focused on the park project, the commissioners took a moment to reflect on Sunday's protest in downtown Butler of the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. Some of the township's officers assisted Butler city police during the protest.

“We assisted the city last night. All of the officers did a great job with what they were faced with,” said Butler Township Police Chief John Hays. “I've been an officer for 45 years, and I've never seen anything like that. Hats off to them.”

“I would like to thank the police service and all the services that contributed to yesterday's protest,” Commissioner Joseph Wiest said. “They did one heck of a job to keep that crowd intact with dignity.”

Commissioner Sam Zurzolo said he saw protesters getting aggressive with officers who remained calm. He recalled one instance where a protester was yelling inches from an officer's face.

“They did an outstanding job,” Zurzolo said.