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WELLSVILLE -- Phase two of the Frederick Heights waterline project in St. Clair Township can finally proceed, but work is unlikely to get underway before April 1.
Buckeye Water District director Al DeAngelis reported at Thursday's board meeting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finally released the $917,000 grant it awarded for the $1.6 million project. The Army Corps was expected to have signed off on the paperwork earlier this year in time for construction to begin in the spring, but the pandemic sent office employees home to work in March, which slowed the bureaucratic process even more.
Officials hoped work could still begin by November or December but that was predicated on receiving the go-ahead from the Army Corps in September, and now it is too late in the year for that to happen.
"It's always a hard slog with these funding agencies, and with everything else that's been going it's been 10 times harder," said BWD board chairman Mike Ryan, who expects work to take six months.
St. Clair Township trustee Jim Sabatini, who attended the meeting, said he understood and they were just grateful the project had cleared the last hurdle.
"You guys worked hard … This has been a long time coming," he said. "Sometime6s people don't know all the work that goes into something like this."
The first phase of the project, which was completed last year, involved extending an existing BWD trunk line 1.6 miles north on Old Fredericktown Road from Ruby Drive to just past the entrance to the Frederick Heights housing subdivision. This brought water service to about 100 homes. Phase two consists of running secondary lines into the subdivision, where another 100 homeowners are scheduled to hook in.
Sabatini said this is a game-changer for those homeowners who were having problems with their wells.
"This will make a world of difference. There's been multiple issues with the wells out there. It's not just supply issues, it's a water quality issue," he said. "Some people are getting only one or two gallons of water per minute. You can't run a household on that, not to mention many have iron issues as well and problems with sediment."
The Army Corps money was a huge piece of the financial puzzle. In addition to the $917,000, the BWD has received a $200,000 federal grant through the Appalachian Regional Commission. The BWD will receive an interest-free loan from the Ohio Public Works Commission to cover the rest, which will be repaid with the $3,250 tap fee charged property owners.
Unlike municipal sewer service, which is mandatory, property owners have the option of hooking into municipal water service. Sabatini expects more homeowners who initially said no will change their mind once they see work is underway.
In other action at the meeting, DeAngelis reported he has applied for up to $1 million in federal funding to replace lead water lines in Wellsville. If approved, the BWD would use the money to replace lead waterlines from the street to homes.
He said they chose Wellsville because it has the most lead lines of its customers. "It's an older system," he explained.
The board also granted 3 percent pay raises for its 15 employees, effective Jan. 1.
tgiambroni@mojonews.com