Cuyahoga County committee approves five procurement and right‑of‑way measures, including Fitch Road sewer project and Rockside Road resurfacing

The Cuyahoga County Public Works Procurement and Contracting Committee on March 19 approved five procurement- and right‑of‑way resolutions that the committee’s presenters said will clear the way for construction and service agreements this year and next.

Eric Mack of the county Department of Public Works described the largest item as a $7,300,000 program for a new sewer extension (about 0.76 miles) and the reconstruction and rehabilitation of roughly 1.5 miles of Fitch Road in Olmsted Township. "This project this is authority to acquire a right away as part of a $7,300,000 project where we have funding for 45% from a grant and 28% from another grant from the sewer district," Mack said. The resolution (20250107) authorizes temporary access across 26 parcels; Mack said the total payment toward those temporary accesses is $20,000 (about $1,000 per parcel) and that checks will be issued before construction starts this summer. Construction is expected to begin this fall and finish in 2026; the committee approved the resolution by voice vote and granted suspension of second reading so staff can begin homeowner contact.

A separate right‑of‑way matter, Resolution 20250108, authorizes exhibits for rehabilitation of a Lee Road bridge over Mill Creek in Maple Heights. Mack said the work is part of a $2,200,000 project that affects three properties (two property owners, one of them the city) and that some permanent takes are required to install updated guardrail posts. The committee voted to send the item to the full council with second‑reading suspension.

Tom Pavich of the Department of Public Works presented Resolution 20250109 to establish a consolidated master contract for janitorial chemicals, cleaning supplies and paper products (not to exceed $3,000,000). Pavich said the RFP was sent to 29 vendors, produced nine proposals and six scored vendors; the top two recommended vendors (identified in the procurement record as W Mason and Amico/United Business) were the highest‑scoring, lowest‑priced bidders across 74 line items. Pavich said the county consolidated four prior contracts into one master contract to simplify ordering and that the master contract allows mini‑bids between two vendors for larger orders; the committee approved the award and suspended second reading so the contract can be used immediately.

On a federal resurfacing project, the committee considered Resolution 20250110 to award requisition 15527 for resurfacing Rockside Road from East 140th Street to the bridge over the Norfolk Southern Railroad in Maple Heights. Mack said the project is federally funded (approximately 80% federal, 10% city, 10% county), that seven bidders produced the apparent low bid of about $2.5 million against an engineer’s estimate of $3.3 million (roughly 24% under estimate), and that work is planned to start this spring and be completed this fall. The clerk read the resolution as awarding the work to "Ron Yac Paving" in an amount not to exceed $2,538,569.85; the committee moved the item to the full council with second‑reading suspension. (Transcript contains inconsistent contractor naming and a slight difference between the read award amount and the presenter’s cited low bid; the resolution text and presenter remarks are both reported below.)

Finally, Resolution 20250111 authorizes a revenue‑generating agreement with the city of Berea not to exceed $975,000 for sanitary and storm sewer maintenance in County Sewer District No. 8. Mack said the county has used a similar agreement since 2017 and that last year’s maximum was $400,000; the agreement is set to begin April 1 and the committee approved the item and suspended second reading so work can commence.

All five agenda items were approved by voice vote at the committee meeting; motions and seconds were recorded on the public record but formal roll‑call tallies were not included in the meeting transcript provided. Committee members asked routine procurement and schedule questions during presentations, including how temporary access payments to homeowners are handled on the Fitch Road project, clarification that guardrail work entails permanent takes on the Lee Road bridge project, and requests for subcontractor names tied to the DEI participation goals on the resurfacing bid. Mack and Pavich said procurement and bid documents containing further detail will be circulated to the committee on request.

The committee did not record substantive public comment during the portion of the meeting in the transcript provided. The items will move to the full County Council or proceed to contracting as appropriate under county procurement rules.