Butler County Commissioners

The county commissioners awarded a $795,000 contract Wednesday for the Geibel Road Bridge replacement project in Summit Township that could get underway in late summer.

Allison Park Contractors Inc. submitted the lowest of eight bids and was awarded the contract, which is being federally funded.

The bids were opened May 8, and because Allison Park’s bid is $113,801 lower than the next lowest bid of $908,810, additional time was taken to make sure the bid was legitimate, said Kevin Gray, bridge and fleet manager.

He said the company told him that the low bid was submitted to keep its employees working for bigger upcoming jobs.

Work is tentatively set to begin in August and has a completion deadline of August 2026, Gray said.

The single-span steel bridge carries Geibel Road over Bonnie Brook. The road and bridge will be raised, and the stream opening will be widened to better handle floodwaters. The current 15-ton vehicle weight limit will be removed when the new bridge opens, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

The commissioners addressed an infrastructure project in the northern part of the county by voting to provide $50,000 from the $5 fee imposed on vehicle registrations to Eau Claire to replace several deteriorated stormwater culverts.

Mark Gordon, chief of economic development and planning, said the total project cost is about $155,000.

The $5 fee has generated $1,236,649 since it went into effect in 2018 and has generated a total investment of $11,144,394, he said.

He said the county is working with Harrisville to allocate money from the fee for road projects.

In addition, the commissioners approved a $49,365 contract with the county engineering firm Herbet, Rowland and Grubic Inc. to design the Diamond Park rehabilitation project.

“We have preliminary designs, but they’re just conceptual drawings,” said Leslie Osche, commissioners chairman.

The county has a $250,000 state grant from the Department of Community and Economic Development, and is applying for another grant for the same amount to pay for the project.

The commissioners also reappointed Ken DeFurio, Common Pleas Court Judge Joseph Kubit, Jennifer Pullar, Glenn Miller and Carmine Scotece to six-year terms on the Butler County Community College board of trustees.