By Richard Zowie
Leader Staff Writer

Efforts to complete the Drahner Road Safety Path hit a snag at the August 13 Oxford Township board of trustees meeting when it was announced that the township’s budget for the project is far short of the prices quoted.
Specifically, the township has about $85,000 in its Safety Path Fund to work with while the lowest bid for the project was $321,024.50.
At that figure, the township has about 26.5 percent of the funds needed to fund the lowest bid.
The steep costs of the bids took the trustees by surprise. This brought forth a discussion on options. Should the township have part of the work done and should the project be put on hold until there’s more money? One person noted that the reference check on the contractor with the lowest bid came back positive, and they recommended that the contractor get the job once more money came in.
‘It’s a safety hazard,? said treasurer Joe Ferrari, stating he feels that some work needs to be done on the project sooner rather than later. ‘We can at least finish some of it, and that’s a step in the right direction.?
Township supervisor Bill Dunn asked if it was possible to get money from matching grants while Oxford Village president Chris Bishop, who attended the meeting, said that funds from federal Community Development Block Grant funds could be used for it.
According to Ferrari, the only grants he’s been able to locate are from the Federal Transportation Enhancement Grants. These grants do require some type of local match.
‘I am in the process of reviewing the guidelines and will try to submit an application, if we are deemed eligible,? he said.
To work with the funds currently available, the supervisors decided to get an estimate for the repair of existing problems.