Published: April 13, 2009 11:16 pm      

Garrett projects moving forward

Exhibit hall at fairgrounds at top of list

OAKLAND — Garrett County is moving forward on some capital projects.

“We do show a progress,” Monty Pagenhardt, county administrator, said of the Department of General Services Project Status Report dated April 1. “Some (projects) have been going on for a while. ... In spite of the budget shortfalls, we still have to maintain.”

Pagenhardt said some of the capital projects are simple things from fixing the heating system in the county courthouse to redoing the sidewalks outside. Others are the final steps in completing projects like construction of the entrance road to the new county roads garage.

The project that continues to move forward is that of the exhibit hall at the Garrett County Fairgrounds.

“We had a prebid meeting for the exhibit hall,” Pagenhardt said. “The room was full. There is a lot of interest in that. That will probably get started first (over other projects).”

The $3.375 million project has been turned over to the fair board, according to Meg Ellis of the Garrett County Department of Economic Development. The county is helping with the bid process, but she said that since the exhibit hall was moved to the fairgrounds, applications for grants and funding were directed to the fair board.

When the exhibit hall is complete, it will be the fair board’s building and the board will both operate and maintain it. The anticipated completion for the project is April 2010.

The report includes an update on the trade center to be located at the former Phenix building in Accident. The architect has submitted 75 percent of the plans for the $1.5 million project for review as of March. Financing, schedule, layout and various other components of the plan were discussed March 27. No completion date was given for this project.

Also on the list was the McHenry Business Park with $2,520,555 for erosion and sediment control, grading and utilities and $528,697.70 for a 250,000-gallon concrete storage tank. This portion of the development of the business park is slated to be completed in August.

Other projects include reviews of final payments on Phase II of the Garrett County Airport expansion, improvements to the collection sites for the landfill.

Contact Sarah Moses at smoses@times-news.com.