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CHESTER -- Chester City Council has moved one step closer toward completion of its state paving project.
Members met Jan. 8 and voted to contract with Stantec Consulting Services of Bridgeport, W.Va., to oversee the $3 million resurfacing of city roads.
Councilman Nathan Wright was absent from the special session, which was held a week after the normal meeting day which fell on the New Year's Day holiday.
The project will be funded through the West Virginia Water Development Authority, which is a revenue bond bank that provides infrastructure financing for local government agencies like Chester.
While the city of Chester won't receive a $3 million infusion upfront before starting the project, which needs to happen in 2024, the WDA will provide a reimbursement for the work.
Stantec will determine the roads of priority to be paved based on the allowable funding. In a nutshell, they will be responsible for getting the measurements and coming up with the necessary road tonnage amounts, Mayor Ed Wedgwood explained.
In addition to developing any construction specifications, Stantec will access Chester through the bid and construction processes, making site visits throughout the process and rejecting any defective work provided by contractors.
The mayor said all of the city's side streets are bad, so city officials don't have a top contender list.
"We will start in the first ward and work our way through town," he added. "I expect it will take three months."
Chester will pay a capped $100,000 to the company for services rendered. Wedgewood and Councilman Steve Shuman, who oversees the road department, had expected it would be triple that.
Before any services are rendered, the company has to be insured during the term of the agreement.
Chester hopes to start work on the paving project in late spring, Wedgewood concluded.