Thursday, June 7, 2001
Residents and businesses along the line's path will be eligible to tap in.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- Work is expected to begin in July on a project intended to provide a more reliable water supply to Beaver schools and lay the foundation for a future municipal water supply to Beaver Creek State Park.
Columbiana County commissioners agreed Wednesday to authorize county Engineer Bert Dawson to seek bids on the undertaking, estimated to cost more than $500,000.
Dawson said the new, nearly 2-mile-long waterline could be installed by fall.
About the project: The undertaking calls for the line to be extended from near the intersection of state Routes 7 and 11, north along state Route 7 to Beaver high school and middle school.
Both buildings are near one another along state Route 7 in Madison Township.
The schools rely on water wells, which school officials have said are expensive to maintain and are not as reliable as a municipal utility.
The school district is funding more than half the project with a nearly $265,000 tap-in fee.
Other funding sources include a $100,000 state grant and a $50,000 state loan to the county.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is contributing about $100,000 so that the line will be designed to accommodate future expansion into the state park, east of Beaver schools, Dawson explained.
There's no definite timetable, so far, for extending the line to the park, Dawson said. But he predicted that could occur in the next few years.
Park officials previously have said they would prefer a municipal water supply, rather than the wells the park relies upon.
Besides the school district, the new waterline also will be able to serve more than 20 homes and businesses along its path, Dawson said.
Tap-ins won't be mandatory. But homeowners who wish to tap in will be required to pay $3,250. Business tap-ins will be priced based on estimated water consumption, Dawson said.
Also on agenda: In other matters, commissioners said they will consider a request from the county office on aging for nearly $4,900 in additional funding.
Sandy Glass, agency director, said the money is needed to help pay bills for the cash-strapped agency.
The agency's 2001 budget is about $90,000, of which about $13,500 comes from the county. The rest are state and federal dollars.
The agency provides adult day care and transportation services for the elderly.
It also assists seniors in obtaining other social services.