NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) - The Tuscarawas County Commissioners are establishing a new board to facilitate transportation projects in the county.  

The commissioners recently passed a resolution approving the creation of the Transportation Improvement District, or TID, and the five trustees who will serve on it. Commissioner Joe Sciarretti says the board will evaluate and prioritize projects to present to ODOT for consideration.

“This board will help us advocate for local projects to be given a hard look, and to help with citizens, travel, traffic, business, distribution,” he says. “All these various interests should be able to at least be vetted through this board.”

Sciarretti says this diverse group of board members was appointed by the commissioners for two-year terms.

“We went for it to be a small board and more manageable and easier to build a consensus. We have members there from southern municipalities, northern or central municipalities with New Philadelphia as well as a business interest and an attorney that are highly active in the community,” he says.

Sciarretti says grants for accepted projects can be funded by 10 percent up to a million dollars.     

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