Photo by Howard Owens.
Bridge, airport and building projects of nearly $4 million are headed for Genesee County Legislature’s vote next week after county legislators from the Ways & Means Committee agreed Wednesday to design and construction costs for the work.
The committee approved design costs of $240,000 for the Richley Road over Murder Creek bridge in the Town of Darien. This bridge replacement has a balance of $1,508,000, with the largest amount to still be paid by taxpayers but spread out with 80 percent federal, 15 percent state and 5 percent local aid.
For the Fisher Road over Oak Orchard Creek bridge in the Town of Oakfield, the committee approved an amount of $1,770,200, to be funded with 80 percent federal aid, 15 percent state aid and a 5 percent match from local 1 percent sales tax.
If approved by the Legislature, it will also direct the county treasurer to establish a capital project and $88,510 to come from 1 percent sales tax of the county, along with $1,416,160 of federal aid and $265,530 in state aid for the total expense.
Other projects on the horizon include construction of an airport equipment storage building, which was put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic due to sales tax concerns.
County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens had been unsuccessful in obtaining a state aviation grant for the capital project construction at the Saile Drive airport, he said. However, Assemblyman Steve Hawley’s office secured a state Department of Transportation grant for $150,000, Hens said.
He asked that the original design amount of $125,000 from 1 percent sales tax be increased by the additional $150,000 state grant for a total available budget of $275,000 for the project design.
The committee agreed. It also approved a recommendation to award a bid not to exceed $248,350 to Kircher Construction, Inc. of Mount Morris for replacement of the roof and siding of the county’s Interpretive Center at Genesee County Park & Forest.
All of these measures will be passed on to the Legislature for final vote at 5:30 p.m. July 26 in the Old County Courthouse.
