The long awaited sidewalk project in Providence may finally begin this spring after Webster County Fiscal Court approved the signing of a contract with KMAC Contracting during Monday’s regular meeting.
The vote gives permission to Judge-Executive Steve Henry to enter the agreement with the construction company to build the sidewalks between Montgomery St. and Providence Elementary. The cost of the work is estimated at $467,645.
The new sidewalks are the result of a federal Safe Schools grant that was awarded in 2016. The project has been slow going due to a variety of factors, not the least of which was the Covid-19 pandemic.
The project will connect the central portion of town to the school, and will serve students who walk to and from the building. The sidewalks will run along parts of Montgomery, Locust, Maple, and North Green streets, and will cover about five city blocks.
The county was the lead on the grant proposal nearly seven years ago.
The court also approved a bid on another project in the county, that for the pouring of concrete pads and the installation of several pavilions at the new county park.
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The winning bid came from Recreation Insights of Louisville in the amount of $162,500.
While there is no start date scheduled for the work, Road Department chief Randy Norman told magistrates the pavilions are set to be delivered the second week of April.
In other business, the court approved the hiring of six employees at the county’s 911 call center.
Full-time employees include Danielle Leer, Jordan Payton, and Shania Eagles. Hired part-time were Mallory Todd, Elaina Bowler, and Rocky Williams. All will be paid $15 per hour.
Central dispatch was recently brought under the umbrella of the Webster County Emergency Management Agency with the hiring of EMA Director Jeremy Moore full-time.