Ross County Engineer Charlie Ortman made a brief periodic report to the Ross County Commissioners Monday morning.
Ortman said he continues to communicate with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources on the proposed designation of Paint Creek and its major tributaries as scenic waterways.
He said he simply wants to understand how it would impact future bridge replacements, and is not opposed to it. He said he jumps through so many hoops already, another one is par for the course.
The ODNR designation in Ross and Highland counties would be for Paint Creek, North Fork of Paint Creek, Rattlesnake Creek, and Rocky Fork Creek. That would include six bridges that Ross County manages.
Ortman also mentioned his office will start spending about $3 million on county and township roads after the July 4th weekend.
And, his department is engineering an overpass for Charleston Pike over the CSX-T rail line (former C&O railroad), where construction should start in 2023.
The commissioners also lamented that the state no longer allows CDBG grants to go towards township road projects. They said they don't expect roads to be neglected, but the townships will miss out on this windfall to get more work done each year.
The Ross County Commissioners meet weekly, starting on Monday mornings. Kevin Coleman reports on Chillicothe & Ross County government, politics, & culture.