Preston Neil, the town manager for Ridgeway, told the Erie County Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 19 that the town’s Beavercreek diversion restoration project has entered the construction phase, roughly a year after a weather event that damaged the diversion infrastructure.

The update matters to county officials because the town requested a county right-of-way permit and assistance with temporary variable message signs as water demand briefly exceeded supply.

Neil said the town asked the county Road and Bridge Department for a right-of-way permit for the work and singled out Road and Bridge Superintendent Ty Barger for assistance during the permitting process. Neil said water demand had risen to the point the town moved to Stage 3 water restrictions — a level the town had not experienced before — and that Barger accommodated a request to deploy the county’s variable message signs on State Highway 62 for about one week to notify the public.

"My name is Preston Neil. I serve as the town manager for Ridgeway," Neil said during the board’s call to the public. He later added, "we had to go into stage 3 water restrictions, which is a level that we've never been before." He also thanked the county and specifically Ty Barger for facilitating permitting and messaging board use.

County officials thanked Neil for the update and for the positive feedback about coordination between the town and county road and bridge staff. No formal action or funding request for the Beavercreek restoration was taken during the meeting; Neil’s remarks were accepted as a public update.

The board did not set any follow-up vote during the meeting. The town manager said coordination and permitting were complete on the county side and that construction had begun.