The Muskingum Valley Park District Board met Tuesday night for the first time since a major gas line was struck behind Zanesville High School during work on a path project overseen by the parks.

The gas line was struck about three weeks ago when a contract worker was operating a bulldozer to create a paved pathway connecting the campuses of Ohio University Zanesville and the Zanesville City Schools.

Muskingum Valley Park District Executive Director Russell Edgington said that since the rupture, not much progress has been made at Joe’s Run. 

Edgington said the project engineer sent and email to the Foill Inc., reminding the contract company of their July 31 deadline to complete the project.

Edgington estimates the project is about 10 or 15 percent complete with a little more than a month left until its deadline.

“All they have at this point is the rough grating in. They haven’t done any proof rolling yet,” said Edgington.

According to Edgington, there is a clause in the contract in which Foill Inc. would owe the park district money for each day the project goes unfinished past the deadline, so that is not the main issue of concern for him.

Rather, Edginton said Foill Inc. is storing gravel for the project on school property where the high school marching band practices. If the project isn’t finished by July 31, there will be conflict with band practices scheduled to begin in August.

Despite concerns from the park district’s end of the contract, Jeff Bland, the project manager at Foill Inc. assigned to Joe’s Run, said everything is still on schedule and will be completed by deadline.

Related: https://ycitynews.com/1812/news/muskingum-ema-to-bill-contracting-company-for-gas-rupture-company-claims-it-to-be-accident/