COLUMBIANA Council awards sewer-project pacts

Contractors are all from the Youngstown area.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
COLUMBIANA -- An 18-month project to upgrade the city's sewage treatment plant should begin in about a month, city Manager Keith Chamberlin said.
City council awarded contracts for the project this week. The contractors are:
UA.P. O'Horo Co. of Youngstown, general contractor, $8,990,000.
UProut Boiler Heating and Welding Inc. of Youngstown, plumbing contractor, $237,000.
UYork Mahoning Mechanical Contractors Inc. of Youngstown, heating, ventilation and air conditioning contractor, $152,200.
UEnertech Electrical Inc. of Lowellville, electrical contractor, $854,000.
City officials have said sewer customers will see fee increases in 2004 and 2005 to help pay for the improvements.
City Finance Director Mary Louise Dicken said the increases are required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Funding part of project
The rural development division of the USDA is funding a substantial portion of the project.
Rural development is providing a $4.8 million grant and $7.2 million loan. The increases are required for the city to pay back the loan, so rural development sets the increases, Dicken said.
Fees are based on 1,000 gallons monthly usage. Customers in the city pay $5.66 for sewer service, and customers outside the city pay $8.49.
The 2004 rates will be $6.54 for city customers and $9.81 for customers outside the city.
The 2005 rates will be $7.43 for city customers and $11.14 for customers outside the city.
Chamberlin has said the improvements will increase the capacity of the treatment plant and meet Ohio Environmental Protection Agency standards and accommodate growth.
He said Tom Hall of Finkbeiner, Pettis & amp; Strout Inc., consulting engineers of Akron, designed the improvements based on projected 20-year growth of the city.
Besides the revenue from sewer rates, the city will pay back loans through tap-in fees. City council is also discussing charging an additional fee for new development known as an impact fee, but council members haven't decided how much that fee would be.
Chamberlin said an impact fee would be in addition to tap-in fees. Council has been discussing implementing impact fees for some time.
tullis@vindy.com