The Warren County Commissioners have approved nearly $721,000 in work to the exterior of the Warren County Courthouse.

The low bid from Graciano Restoration of Pittsburgh is for $720,902. Among the company’s recent projects are restoration of the terra cotta facade at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, restoration of the historic Highland Park pedestrian tunnel in Pittsburgh after the tunnel was closed because of deterioration and safety concerns, and work at the historic Fallingwater property that is expected to be complete in 2026.

Work on the county courthouse could begin as early as October and will include repointing of brick, painting and other items, according to Dan Glotz, county commissioner.

“This is a project that we’ve had going on for quite some time, in the works anyway,” Glotz said. “We had bids that would have been reviewed, the engineering firm came up with what they assumed was a solid estimate and the bids came in below that estimate, which was a positive for us … It was a project that was long overdue, as well.”

County officials also approved an agreement with E&M Engineering for rehabilitation of the county’s Bike-Hike Trail Rehabilitation Project.

The county Bike-Hike trail is a paved “Rails to Trails” that runs along the Conewango Creek and Route 62 between Warren and North Warren where the former DAV&P Railroad traveled. The route includes the original train station that was converted into a restaurant and foundations from oil refineries dating back to the oil boom in Warren County.

“This is a rehabilitation of the existing trail that we currently have,” Glotz said. “There are a lot of sections of the trail that are in dire need of repair. This agreement will get us through the design piece of that rehabilitation project and then we can opt to bidding out the construction piece of it.”

Josh Cotton, county grant writer, asked the Warren County Commissioners for approval to apply for a People, Park and Community Foundation grant earlier this year to help pay for scheduled repair work on the trail. Commissioners unanimously approved the application, which requests a $30,000 grant to help with work on the trail along Route 62.

E&M Engineers of Bradford, Pa., has provided a preliminary cost estimate for the project totaling $353,420. Cotton told commissioners in May that the state grant request was one of several funding requests he was making to help pay for the work. It’s expected trail rehabilitation could begin in 2026.

“The funding is starting to come together,” Cotton said Wednesday. “I hope that we can do this now instead of bidding it over the winter and be ready to go.”

The project will address dozens of cracks in the trail, and asphalt overlay the entire 2.65-mile length of the trail, according to a previously approved grant request.

“In the meantime, bear with us,” Glotz said. “We know there are some problems with it, but we’re working to get it resolved.”