A Pine Grove contractor is the lowest bidder for the Swatara Creek Floodplain Restoration Project.

In May, Pine Grove borough and Pine Grove township were awarded a combined $4.5 million in grant monies to alleviate flood problems, which included a $3.5 million “Disaster Recovery” Department of Community and Economic Development Grant, and a $1.5 million DCED Growing Greener grant.

Bids were opened this week before the Schuylkill County Commissioners’ meeting Wednesday. The bids will be reviewed and awarded at a later date.

Four companies bid on the project: Arthur Aungst Inc., Pine Grove, $2,074.586; Flyway Excavating, Lancaster, $2,278.193; Rutledge Excavating, Tyler Hill, $2,765,120; and James T. O’Hara, Berwick, $2,975,000.

At the time the county announced receipt of the grants, Schuylkill County Administrator Gary Bender called the work “the largest flood control project DCED has even undertaken.”

He credited collaborative work by the county’s conservation district, citizens Bill Reichert and Wayne Lehman, and the legislative delegation which represents Schuylkill County, in attaining the grant monies.

Bender said that the project involves movement of soil and material around the Guildford Mills Company, near the borough’s sewage treatment plant. The said that the project should greatly alleviate flooding issues in the area.

In other action the commissioners:

• Extended the services contract with Westlaw Correctional for the inmate law library. The monthly charges for online/practice solutions software products is $1,249.92. The extension is for three years, effective June 9, with 5% increases for years two and three.

• On a request from county Director of Finance Paul Buber, approved a supplemental budget appropriation of $40,000 for the Public Defenders’ Office.

Buber explained that the additional cost is due to services the public defenders’ office provides for inmates incarcerated in state correctional institutions.

“The good news is that we get reimbursed 100 percent,” Buber said.