Upgrade must slake thirst for history

Putting one of the water treatment plant'sstations on display could satisfy concerns.
& lt;a href=mailto:slshaulis@vindy.com & gt;By SHERRI L. SHAULIS & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
MINERAL RIDGE -- For more than 70 years, workers at the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District have turned brass handles to monitor the flow of water through cleansing filters to ensure the water maintains a high quality of taste and appearance.
At 16 marble-topped filter stations in a building off Salt Springs Road, the brass fixtures display the flow rate and which filters are open or shut. At each station, a piece of paper is logged with when filters were opened, for how long and by whom.
It's a system that's worked well for decades, but changing technology and the time and money needed to maintain and repair the aging filter system demands change.
"All this stuff has outlived its useful life," explains Thomas Holloway, chief engineer at the water treatment plant.
Holloway -- like his predecessor, Dave Tabak -- is working with the MVSD's board of directors and state agencies to repair the plant's filter system, which include replacing the brass and marble control panels.
The first 10 filters are from the plant's original construction in the 1930s, while the other six were added during an upgrade in the early 1950s. Those instrument panels also feature marble tops and some brass fittings to resemble the original stations, but the cabinet bases are made of wood as opposed to brass.
Extra work
Through decades of use, filters have become encrusted with sand and particles cleaned from the water, Holloway said. Each year, the district spends thousands of dollars in overtime for employees to maintain and operate the aging system, especially when filters break down.
It's time and money that could be better spent elsewhere, Holloway says, especially since new electrical instrumentation panels would eliminate much of the need for human monitoring of the filters.
The renovation work originally started in the early 1990s, but funding problems and a special audit starting in 1997 put all work on hold.
Now, the district is applying for a $7.2 million, 3.5-percent loan through the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's water supplier revolving loan fund, Holloway said. One part of the application process, however, is an historical review by the Ohio Historical Preservation Society.
"This plant is already on the Ohio historic inventory," Holloway said, explaining that any work done at the plant is considered to have historic ramifications.
The plant treats water from the Meander Reservoir, which is then sold to member cities Niles and Youngstown. Much of the plant's construction is believed to have been done through the Works Progress Administration, part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal program to employ people during the Great Depression.
One plan
Holloway said to satisfy historic concerns, MVSD employees are willing to take at least one of the original instrumentation panels and put it on display in the office lobby.
"We wouldn't be able to get all the piping underneath, but we would be able to save the marble and the brass," he said.
So far, he said, state officials have agreed to that plan.
The renovations and upgrades now depend upon finding adequate funding. Design drawings for the needed repairs and replacements are complete, Holloway said, and the documents have been sent to the OEPA for a technical review.
From there, Holloway said, the district will pursue the low-interest loan and eventually approach the member cities about a rate increase.
If everything falls into place, construction on a new filter system could begin as early as November.
"But that's being extremely optimistic," Holloway added.
& lt;a href=mailto:slshaulis@vindy.com & gt;slshaulis@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;