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Ware County adds $1.12 million Short Street paving contract, road-list and ROW work to regular agenda
Summary
At its Aug. 11 work session, the Ware County Board of Commissioners added a $1,119,535.22 Short Street paving contract and multiple road-related items — including Wadley Road right-of-way work and the 2026 LMIG road list — to the regular meeting agenda; the county’s share for the Short Street contract is $231,576.93 from SPLOST.
Chairman Elmer Thrift and County Manager James Shubert told the Board on Aug. 11 that Thrift Brother Construction, LLC was the successful bidder for a Short Street paving contract totaling $1,119,535.22 to be paid from the 2025 Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant (LMIG) program, with Ware County responsible for $231,576.93 from SPLOST. The manager said the contractor would have 240 days, barring inclement weather, to complete work on predominantly Emerson Park neighborhood streets.
The Board added the Short Street contract to the regular meeting agenda for formal action. Shubert described the project as aiming to move graders out of the urban area and to repave short sections of roadway, some with long unpaved gaps between paved segments.
The work session also authorized preliminary title investigations, appraisals and potential purchase of right-of-way parcels needed for Wadley Road realignment and paving; the authorization would mirror a prior authorization for an Albany Avenue grade separation and now also includes Banks Lane and Slash Pine Road. Assistant County Attorney Jennifer Herzog was asked to proceed with title searches and the County Manager to obtain certified appraisals.
On larger maintenance planning, Shubert reviewed the 2026 LMIG allocation of $1,273,448.87 (with a 10% county match). He said $552,815.76 remained unallocated and proposed a list of roads for those funds; Grove Avenue was removed from the list because the City plans underground utility work in the next year. The Board instructed the manager to obtain cost estimates for the proposed road work.
Public Works Director Larry Thrift told commissioners he inspected two proposed borrow-pit sites on Ammons Road and recommended moving forward with option agreements with landowners Rusty Tatum and David Tucker; both sites are listed as under one acre and the dirt was described as good quality. The draft option agreements were added to the regular meeting agenda.
No formal votes on the contract, appraisals, LMIG allocations or borrow-pit agreements were taken during the work session; each item was placed on the regular meeting agenda for later consideration.
