LEETONIA Village plans to complete project for waterline extension in 2 years

Water system upagrading aims to improve water and accommodate growth.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LEETONIA -- Village officials hope to complete a nearly $300,000 waterline extension project in the next two years.
Village Administrator Gary Phillips said extension of a waterline from Main Street south on Chestnut Street then east along Columbia Street will improve water service to the southeast side of town and prepare for growth.
Phillips said that he hopes to complete the water main project this year but that he received only a portion of a request for a Community Development Block Grant. The total cost of the project is $288,000, he said.
The village officials had hoped to fund $126,000 with a CDBG and pay for the rest with a combination of other grants and local money.
The village will receive a $61,000 CDBG this year, however, Phillips said. That means crews will complete only a portion of the project this year and Phillips will seek another CDBG next year to finish the project.
Main and Chestnut
The waterline extension, a 12-inch line, will connect to a new 12-inch main line at Main and Chestnut streets. Phillips said he'd like to complete the extension from Chestnut Street under the railroad tracks and then east along Columbia Street to near the Sunoco station at the corner of Columbia and Lisbon streets.
Phillips said if he can secure funding to extend the line that far this year, the work would be completed at the most difficult points -- under the railroad tracks on Chestnut Street and under a bridge near Lisbon Street.
Neighborhood lines
Once the water main extension is completed, Phillips said he can then seek funding to begin replacing 4-inch lines in neighborhoods with 6-inch or 8-inch lines, he said. The neighborhood lines because they are very old, he said.
The goal is to eventually replace all the 4-inch lines with new lines, he said. All the water system improvements are being done to both accommodate growth and improve water service for existing customers, he said.
Water customers experience problems with water pressure, volume and discoloration because of the old lines, he said. Installation of new 12-inch water mains in the village the past few years have improved the system and boosted water supplies to the industrial park.