COLUMBIANA City council approves sewer extension project

Some say they favor the project but not the assessments.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
COLUMBIANA -- City council voted 4-0 to approve a $5.5 million sewer extension project.
The project to extend sewer service east along state Route 14 and along state Route 7 has been in the works for more than a decade.
Councilmen Geoff Parsly and Don Vignon were absent from Tuesday's meeting, so a 4-0 vote was needed for the project to move forward.
City Law Director Dan Blasdell explained that though the assessment process and appeals process is completed, another public hearing on the project was required because the low bid for the project was 15 percent higher than engineer's estimates.
Council awarded contracts for both the sewer and waterline extensions, but contracts have not yet been signed.
Several residents and business owners voiced opinions about the sewer assessments, which are based on acreage.
The bulk of the assessment will be paid by developer Wayne Bacon, owner of The Links at Firestone Farms, a public golf course. Bacon intends to build 400 to 600 homes on the golf course and also develop a stretch along the east side of Route 7 from Route 14 north to Heck Road.
Councilman Devin Witt said he had difficulty deciding how to vote. He said he is excited about the Firestone development and thinks the sewer extension will bring the potential for growth and progress for the city.
He said, however, he had difficulty approving a project that would mean costly assessments for senior citizens on fixed income.
Residents awareness
Leonard expressed similar concerns, and said that not all residents knew about the public hearings required before council took a final vote. He said, however, that the city followed all the legal requirements in advertising the hearings.
Leonard wanted to postpone the vote, but Mayor Lowell Schloneger and some council members stressed that by law the council had to vote for or against the sewer project at that meeting. They said Ohio law requires a vote be taken at the same meeting in which a public hearing on the issue takes place.
Schloneger noted that delaying the project would probably make it cost more, as construction costs will only continue to rise in the months ahead.
Assessments are expected to range from $4,000 to $3 million. Anyone who may have difficulty paying the assessments can make a case for financial hardship.
Besides the Firestone development, the extended sewer line will also serve businesses along the extension route.