Teton County to administer SH‑33 pathway; board approves construction and inspection contracts

Teton County commissioners voted to make the county the project administrator for the State Highway 33 Pathway and approved two contracts needed to build the federally aided pathway.

Public Works Director Daryl Johnson told the board the project documents have been reviewed and approved by county legal staff and said the county is stepping in to administer a federal‑aid grant originally administered by the City of Driggs. “The documents that I’ve given Dan have been reviewed by legal and approved by legal,” Johnson said.

The board authorized a construction contract with HK Contractors with a not‑to‑exceed amount of $660,057.37 and a construction engineering and inspection agreement with Atlas Technical Consultants LLC with a not‑to‑exceed amount of $83,377. The county’s local share for those contracts is 7.34%, to be paid from circulation impact fees, the board recorded. Johnson said design costs to date are roughly $50,000 and that the county has already paid about $26,000–$27,000 toward the match.

Commissioners discussed the tradeoffs of spending limited local transportation funds on pathways versus roads. A commissioner told the board at a prior meeting that they had “heartburn” about prioritizing pathway dollars when road maintenance needs remain; other commissioners and attendees noted the project is primarily funded by a federal aid grant and that the county’s out‑of‑pocket exposure is limited to the local match.

The motion to approve an amended memorandum of agreement with the City of Driggs naming Teton County as project administrator, the HK Contractors construction contract (NTE $660,057.37), and the Atlas Technical Consultants CEI agreement (NTE $83,377), with county local matches of 7.34% to be paid from circulation impact fees, carried. The record shows the board voted in favor; the motion passed.

The county will now sign the amended memorandum of agreement and the two contracts so work can proceed under the federal‑aid grant rules that require contracted construction engineering and inspection services. No public comment was taken at this special meeting, and staff said legal review of the documents had been completed before the vote.

Planning and next steps listed by staff include final signatures and coordination with the City of Driggs and the federal grant administrator. The county indicated it will bill the 7.34% local match from circulation impact fee revenues as stated in the agreements.