The City of Powell is partnering with Delaware County to resurface a portion of Seldom Seen Road at a reduced cost to the city. During Tuesday’s meeting of Powell City Council, a resolution was approved authorizing City Manager Andrew White to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Delaware County Engineer’s Office for the project.
With Delaware County already planning to resurface the intersection of Sawmill Parkway and Seldom Seen Road this year, the project will now include the resurfacing of Seldom Seen Road from Sawmill Parkway to the CSX railroad tracks just east of Seldom Seen Park.
The county has provided preliminary project estimates of $134,700 based on the county’s engineer’s opinion of probable costs, and the city shall reimburse the county for all project costs relating to the construction of the project situated within the city’s municipal corporation limits in an amount not to exceed $35,000.
Bidding for the project will be initiated by the Engineer’s Office next month, at which time the city will receive an updated total for its contribution.
As part of the agreement, Delaware County has offered to cover project administration, inspection, and bidding at no additional cost to the city. “It’s a pretty good deal for us,” Powell Public Service Director Grant Crawford told council.
“These types of partnerships are excellent, not just for the city but also for the county and, ultimately, the taxpayers. So, well done to the staff and to Delaware County,” said Councilman Ferzan Ahmed following a discussion of the details of the project.
Building set for demolition
The city’s plan to demolish the former Country Carry Out building, located at 35 N. Liberty St., is moving forward after council approved a bid from Watson General Contracting for $59,250 to carry out the work.
The two-story, 9,840-square-foot building was constructed in 1984 and sits on nearly an acre of land. It once contained restaurant space along with the carryout, as well as office space on the second floor, but has sat vacant since 2019. Following demolition, the city is proposing to open the site for potential mixed-use redevelopment.
If the demolition is completed by April 30 as planned, the city will be reimbursed for the entire cost of the project after being awarded funds from the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD)’s Ohio Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program Grant Fund. The city received $200,615 from the fund to complete the project, which mirrored the city’s original estimates of around $190,000 for the project’s total cost.
However, while speaking to council on Tuesday, Assistant City Manager and Community Development Director Jeff Tyler said the actual cost decreased significantly as a result of multiple factors.
“Some of the discrepancy, I think, aligns around the issue of asbestos removal,” Tyler said. “As staff, we took care of procuring the report that was necessary, not only for asbestos but other hazardous materials, so that we can kind of control that number. So that has been taken care of, and the bids were based on that report that was submitted at that time.”
Tyler added that finding the building contained a wood frame as opposed to steel also significantly lowered the cost. The balance of the grant not used to reimburse the city for the project will be returned to the ODOD.
Following the discussion, Mayor Daniel Swartwout said of the project, “Great job to everyone. This is a tremendous win for our community. Excellent work to everyone involved.”
