COLUMBIANA New year will bring sewage plant upgrade

Two projects are planned along state Route 14 for the summer of 2003.
COLUMBIANA -- A $13 million upgrade of the sewage treatment plant tops the city's list of projects for 2003.
City Manager Keith Chamberlin said the city will accept bids for the project in February. Construction will take about a year, he said.
Chamberlin said the city will have about $7 million in grants for the project and will borrow the rest.
Upgrades at the water plant could soon follow, Chamberlin said. He said he has been working with geologists in recent months to determine where water wells could be drilled.
Chamberlin said he wants to plan for the city's future water needs, and drilling more wells and upgrading the water plant will likely be a part of meeting those needs.
Sewer extension
He said the city will begin a $387,975 project in the spring to extend sewer services to 30 homes on Fairfield Avenue and Bittersweet Drive on the city's southeast side. Many of the septic systems in those homes need replaced, he said.
The city will borrow the money, then pay back the loans as the sewer assessments are paid. He said most residents will be assessed about $7,500.
Route 14
During the summer months, two projects will be in progress along state Route 14, Chamberlin said.
Engineers are working on bid specifications for a $3 million project to extend water and sewer services to the state Route 7 intersection.
Landowners will be assessed for the cost of the project, and Firestone Farms development represents about 75 percent of the property to be assessed, he said.
A golf course is already operating on the land and developer Wayne Bacon has also planned to build upscale housing in the area.
Chamberlin said improvements at the intersections of Route 14 with state Routes 46 and 164 are being planned by the Ohio Department of Transportation.
He said the engineering is completed with the bidding process to follow. Construction should take place in the summer, he said.
Chamberlin said the ODOT project includes new traffic lights, turning lanes, and storm drains and gutters.