McComb company offers lowest amount for Dalzell Ditch repairs

Advanced Excavating and Demolition, McComb, with a $22,625 quote, is the apparent low bid received for repairs to Dalzell Ditch on the northwest side of Findlay and into Liberty Township. Greg Burks, technician/drainage coordinator with Hancock Soil and Water Conservation District, met with the Hancock County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday to discuss the project. Other companies that Burks contacted about the project, which didn't require formal bids, include: The Weber Co., Archbold, $36,975; and Helms and Sons Excavating, Findlay, $40,980. The estimate for the work is $28,923. Advanced Excavating's estimate includes 325 cubic yards of material, while the other two companies' estimates include 365 cubic yards. Stone and riprap will be installed in the area. The work will repair a washed out area that was left after cleanout of vegetation in the drainage ditch was done several years ago. It will take an about a week to make the repairs, Burks said, which will include reshaping the channel and removing some material. Work hadn't been done on the ditch for several decades. The bids will be reviewed by Assistant Prosecutor Cindy Land, and the commissioners will make a decision soon. Separately, Dawn Stechschulte, vocational support specialist with Harbor, Toledo, who works in Hancock County, spoke to the commissioners about the agency's program to assist youth with their summer job search. She is based at the educational service center and works one-on-one with individuals ages 14-24 to help them develop skills required to find a job and be successful in the workplace. Those skills include appearance and being on time. Stechschulte discussed maintenance-type jobs for youth at county-owned buildings with the commissioners, who made no decision. Commissioner Tim Bechtol said he didn't know if there was a need for workers at the Hancock County Educational Service Center, for instance. Stechschulte said she has 11 individuals in Hancock County ready for employment. So far, Findlay City Schools and Habitat for Humanity's ReStore have been receptive to the idea.The program is designed to provide work experience for youngsters so they become self-sufficient in the future, Stechschulte said. It begins June 8 and continues through Aug. 10. Pay is $13 per hour. There is no cost to the county, Stechschulte said. The city schools reorganization has some workers assisting with the move of materials from Lincoln Elementary School to Jacobs Primary School. The school district plans to sell the Lincoln Elementary building. Renhill Group, an employment agency that works with the city school district to provide substitutes, handles background checks and drug screening of applicants. Maurer: 419-427-8420