MAHONING VALLEY SANITARY DISTRICT Water board seeks loan to upgrade old filters at plant

The directors must hold a public hearing as a part of the improvement project.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
MINERAL RIDGE -- The Mahoning Valley Sanitary District's board of directors is finally ready to take the next step in getting much-needed repairs done.
The board unanimously agreed Wednesday to file an application with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's water supply revolving loan account. The MVSD is asking for a $7.2 million, 3.5-percent loan to upgrade the 16 filters used at the water treatment plant off Salt Springs Road.
"It's clearing a hurdle, but there are quite a few more still to go," said Tom Holloway, the district's chief engineer.
Before the district could file the loan application, the Ohio Historic Preservation Office conducted a historical review of the plans. Holloway said he received a letter from that office dated July 23 that indicated the updates would have no adverse affect on the historical value of any MVSD property.
Holloway noted the letter also said MVSD already is listed on the Ohio historic inventory, and much of the plant is eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.
In addition to applying for the loan, Holloway said, MVSD directors will need to conduct a public hearing to make residents aware of the upgrade project.
That hearing is scheduled for Aug. 31, he said.
The first 10 filters were installed in the plant's original construction in the early 1930s, and the other six were added during an upgrade in the early 1950s.
Here's the problem
Through decades of use, the filters have become encrusted with sand and particles cleaned from the water. Each year, the district spends thousands of dollars in overtime for employees to maintain and operate the aging system, especially when the filters break down.
Repairing the filters was part of a capital improvement project started by the district in the early 1990s, but all work was put on hold after funding problems and a special audit that started in 1997.
Other planned improvements at the plant include repairing and replacing the roof of an MVSD building.
To help fund other improvements, directors are considering asking member cities -- Niles and Youngstown -- for a possible 10 percent rate increase in each of the next three years. Any rate increase would need to ultimately be approved by the court of jurisdiction, which comprises common pleas court judges from Mahoning and Trumbull counties.
Holloway told directors that he had sent letters to the mayors of Youngstown and Niles about the proposed increase, but he has not yet heard back from them.
slshaulis@vindy.com