COLUMBIANA Sewer project is almost finished

The city is still withholding 8 percent of the payment to the contractor.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
COLUMBIANA -- A sewer renovation project in the Pearl Street area that began in January is nearing completion.
City Manager Keith Chamberlin said lawns in the area have been reseeded, and paving is being done in the area this week to level the pavement around manholes. The entire street will be paved in the spring, he said.
The city is withholding payment of 8 percent of the project cost, as stated in the contract, he said. Besides the paving, some residents' driveways need to be repaired, he said.
Chamberlin has said the nearly $500,000 sewer renovation project is needed because of infiltration of storm water into the sanitary sewer system.
Objected to plan: More than a dozen residents of Pearl and North West streets loudly voiced their displeasure about the project at a council meeting in May.
Residents complained that silt and other debris were clogging the new sewer line, catch basins were left uncovered, there was periodic loss of water and electric service, and yards and basements were flooded. The contractor was Blacktop Pavers of Carrollton.
Chamberlin said much of the trouble and delays in the project were caused by the aging system itself.
He said when contractors began digging to replace sewer lines, aging storm drains collapsed, and that work wasn't part of the bid package for the project.
In other business, council voted to have City Law Director Daniel Blasdell draw up an ordinance to prohibit parking on a portion of East Friend Street. Council will consider the ordinance at the Oct. 2 meeting.
Narrow area: Police Chief John Krawchyk said the 200 feet of East Friend Street near Elm Street is too narrow for cars to park there, though parking is permitted on the south side of the street.
Krawchyk said he has been studying the area for several months. Parking on East Friend near the Elm Street intersection blocks visibility of motorists on Elm and restricts traffic on that portion of East Friend Street to one lane.
There has been at least one minor accident in the area recently because of the parking problem, Krawchyk said.