The Newton County Board of Commissioners approved a bid for the resurfacing of Lake Varner's entrance road and park at their meeting on Tuesday.

The board unanimously approved a low bid for the project in the amount of $311,830.50 from Pittman Construction. County engineer Tom Garrett said the project is funded by the water fund.

A total of four bids for resurfacing for the county's Lake Varner entrance road and park were received on Oct. 25. The other three bids included MHB Paving in the amount of $321,286.50, Stewart Brothers in the amount of $336,835.14 and ER Snell Contractor for $361,814.19. Garrett said they anticipate starting on the project as soon as possible, weather permitting.

The board also approved for Garrett to accept federal funding for road improvements at three intersections. Those intersections include Brown Bridge and Crowell roads, Covington Bypass and Flat Shoals roads and State Route 81 at State Route 142.The county will have to match 20 percent of the total projected cost of $524,000.

In other council business, the board reappointed James Johnson to the View Point Health Board for a three year term.

The board also unanimously approved accepting several grants at their meeting.

Those grants included a Superior Court drug court grant for $118,477; a grant in the amount of $195, 973 from the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission through it's Agency on Aging Division for the Senior Services; a Community Service Block Grant for $112,730 from the Department of Human Services, through it's division of Family and Children Services for the county's Senior Services department and the Department of Family and Children's Services.

The board approved a contract with the Georgia Association of Conservation District Supervisors for fiscal year 2013 to fiscal year 2014 in the amount of $32,376.

The contract is an agreement for cost share funding for the Newton County employee assigned to work in the Covington Field Office of the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.

According to the contract, the purpose of the partnership serves to facilitate the implementing planned conservation practices.

The board approved a change order for the Brick Store Stagecoach Museum TE Grant to add copper gutters and downspouts at a cost of $5,500. Debbie Bell, the county's landscape architect, said the purpose of adding the gutters is to reduce the stormwater around the foundation of the building. Bell said the project is within the grant's budget and the Historical Society will pay the additional match funds.