WELLMAN

Not every city council meeting is a long one, and with an absent city administrator, the odds tip toward brevity. The Wellman City Council met Monday night for a mere eight minutes, during which time they passed two resolutions, the first authorizing a $600,000 loan agreement to replace the 9th Avenue/Gingko Street bridge, and the second authorizing the city to apply for a WCRF municipal grant.

The bridge replacement project is already underway; the $600,000 loan pays for engineering. State and federal grants are funding 100% of the construction costs. Work is expected to be completed by summer.

The city will present their municipal grant application to the Washington County Riverboat Foundation at their March meeting. Wellman plans to use funds for a new veterans/first responders memorial and downtown improvements.

Before concluding the meeting, Mayor Ryan Miller noted, “We’ve had three water main breaks on the same street down here, within a block, within a couple of feet of each other, just moving down the line,” he said. “Our guys have been called out three different times within a week and a half for that same general spot.”

The trouble-plagued section of water main is one of those slated for replacement as the city works on updating the aging water system.

The Wellman City Council will next meet on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, a departure from their usual Monday meeting time due to President’s Day.