Irwin Park to get new walking track
Irwin residents soon will have a new walking track when they exercise at Irwin Park, off Pennsylvania Avenue.
Irwin Council on Thursday awarded a $105,000 contract to Ramsey Excavating Co. of Ligonier Township to reconstruct the existing walking path by milling the 7-foot-wide track and repaving it.
Ramsey Excavating also will be responsible for storm drainage improvements at the field and must restore the site.
Ramsey is the same contractor that recently did the streambank restoration project along the Tinker’s Run unnamed tributary, which flows along the edge of the park before flowing into Tinker’s Run.
The only other bidder on the project, W.G. Land Co. LLC of Champion, proposed to mill the track and repave it for just over $219,000.
Council opted to select a scope of work at the park that was less than a project that would have included rain gardens and other work. Ramsey Excavating submitted a bid of about $157,000 that included the additional work, while W.G. Land Co. would have charged more than $320,000 for the same work.
In July, council rejected contract bids for the walking track and park improvements because the prices were too high.
Irwin officials have discussed the need to repave the walking track and had attempted in the past few years to obtain grants for the work.
In other business, council hired Alexander Gillingham as a police officer.
The action came after Daniel Morrow, a full-time police officer, resigned in July. He had been hired in April 2021.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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