Washington County will receive a $400,000 grant and a $1 million no-interest loan to go toward the upcoming phase two of Devola sanitary sewer improvements, Washington County Commissioner Cora Marshall announced at a commission meeting Thursday.
"The $400,000 is not a loan, it doesn't have to be reimbursed," explained Commissioner Tim Irvine.
"It's very important to end users to reduce the upfront cost to them," Marshall said.
The grant and loan were part of decisions made during the Ohio Public Works Commission's round 27 for District 18. However, the plan for phase two of the improvement project must still receive final state approval, Marshall said.
The projected cost for phase two of the Devola sanitary sewer improvements is $5.9 million. Approximately 440 customers in the Devola area will be impacted.
In the meantime, the project's schedule will be submitted to the Ohio EPA, said Marshall.
Fact Box
Project schedule
Project schedule for phase two of Devola sanitary sewer improvements
- Dec. 28: Permit to install approved by Ohio EPA (anticipated).
- May 2013: Advertise for construction bids.
- June 2013: Bid opening and contract award.
- July 2013: Begin construction.
- July 2014: Construction completed.
Source: Washington County Commissioners.
According to the project schedule, Dec. 28 will be the date the county anticipates receiving approval for a permit to install.
Advertisement for construction bids will be done in May 2013, the bid opening and contract award will be in June 2013, construction will begin in July 2013 and construction will be completed in July 2014.
In June 2013, Washington County will apply for a one percent loan from OPWA for the remaining $4.5 million needed to complete the project, Marshall said.
In addition, the Washington County Commissioners approved an Ohio Water Development Authority draw down in the amount of $45,975.15 to pay Stantec of Logan for a portion of its work on phase two of the Devola sanitary sewer improvements.
The total amount Stantec will be paid is $381,276. To date, Stantec has invoiced the county for a total of $256,629.85, with 67 percent of their project work completed to date.
The county has been working with John Grosse, a Columbus-based consulting engineer with Stantec of Logan, to determine a plan and time schedule to be submitted to the Ohio EPA for addressing Devola's sewer issues.
In other business:
The proposed Emergency Operations Center for Washington County is likely one step closer to becoming a reality.
Washington County's Emergency Management Association received a recent email from the state of Ohio saying the agency has been awarded a special projects grant that is part of the state's emergency management performance grant.
The grant, a 50/50 match, is for a total project estimate of $475,000 for the Emergency Operations Center, said Jeff Lauer, Washington County's EMA director.
"This is the only (state emergency management) grant that allows us to build anything structurally," he added.
The grant "is not set in stone until we get a notice of award and it's signed by the state and the county," Lauer cautioned.
Timing for the Emergency Operations Center project is not yet known, he said.
"This is a very, very early stage," he added. "January (2013) could be the start of the project, pending notice of award."
According to Lauer, the Ohio Emergency Management Agency wants every county to have an Emergency Operations Center.
