WELLSVILLE — Following an executive session to discuss personnel matters during Thursday’s meeting of the Buckeye Water District Board of Trustees, the trustees voted to give all district employees a 4 percent pay increase on their base pay effective Dec. 29.

Additionally, the fiscal officer who will now assume compliance officer responsibilities and will be known as fiscal officer/compliance officer will receive a $2 hour wage increase for the additional responsibilities, also effective Dec. 29.

Trustee Timothy O’Hara announced that Thursday’s meeting was his last meeting with the board.

O’Hara said it was a sad day for him.

“I did go to the commissioners and ask them to reappoint me, and I talked to several commissioners, and they seemed hesitant for some reason, I don’t know why, to reappoint me,” O’Hara said.

O’Hara went on to say that he wrote a letter to explain everything that is going on with the BWD having a lot of new projects coming up and that he has been on the board for 19 years and has served faithfully the entire time with an unblemished record of service.

“I understand the commissioners have appointed someone from the engineer’s office which potentially is a conflict of interest and that will probably be questioned and investigated,” O’Hara said. “I leave the district with one request, please govern the company responsibly and fairly. Don’t destroy the progress that myself and others who came before me have accomplished.”

According to a previous news article, commissioners appointed East Liverpool area resident Nicholas Wise to a six-year term on the Buckeye Water District board on Dec. 4, replacing O’Hara of East Liverpool.

Wise serves as utility superintendent for the Columbiana County water and sewer department through the county engineer’s department, managing day-to-day operations and administering, reviewing and inspecting several current public utility expansion and rehabilitation projects through the county.

He wrote in a letter to commissioners that his experience would prove beneficial to the county and the board.

Commissioner Tim Weigle said it’s good to change board members sometimes.

When asked if the appointment of a county employee, Wise, was a conflict, he said “to the best of our knowledge, it’s not a conflict.”

He acknowledged that the late Roy Dray, who previously worked as chief engineer for the county engineer’s department and with the water and sewer department, also served on the BWD board.

District Manager Al DeAngelis told the board in his report the district will be meeting with representatives from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) to discuss an asset management plan and backflow prevention.

He also said that the district has obtained the necessary easements for the Hibbitts Mills waterline extension project, that the district will be relining another filter at the water treatment plant which will take three to four days to complete once the media for filter is received.

DeAngelis said Dallis Dawson and Associates are preparing to submit the PER to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the state Route 39, 10th Street extension project and RCAP is in the process of conducting an environmental survey for the project.

RCAP will start asset management by early February.

DeAngelis said trustees need to meet with Yellow Creek Township to discuss the roads they are going to tear up in the township and how they are going to put them back together and that he is planning to meet with township trustee Kenny Biacco

Also in his report, DeAngelis said that the county engineer has notified the district that the county will proceed with bidding out the County Road 430 roadway project which will involve relocating a portion of the district’s water lines, with this being done at no cost to the district. An inspector will be supplied by the district during construction for which bids for the project will be opened on Jan. 29.

The distribution crew completed one tap and repaired two leaks.

The treasurer’s report, operations report, and district manager’s report were approved as presented.

The Buckeye Water District Board of Trustees meets the third Thursday of each month at 9 a.m. in council chambers at Wellsville Village Hall, 1200 Main St. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Jan. 16.

kgarabrandt@mojonews.com

(Staff Writer Mary Ann Greier contributed to this story)