MVSD hires lawyer to fend off Aqua Ohio's expansion

MVSD announced the apparent low bidder to replace the Niles standpipe.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
MINERAL RIDGE -- The Mahoning Valley Sanitary District has hired a Niles attorney to represent the public water supplier to stop a private supplier from expanding.
The MVSD board of directors agreed Wednesday to retain Atty. Richard L. Goodman at $110 an hour.
Tom Holloway, district chief engineer, said that based on the number of hours required to fend off expansion by Aqua Ohio Inc., the legal bill will range from $13,000 to $22,000.
Aqua applied to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio in January to expand its service area in Trumbull County.
The MVSD, a public entity, sells treated bulk water to Youngstown, Niles and McDonald, which resell it to their customers.
The district has been thwarting Aqua's efforts to expand into Southington and Farmington townships and parts of Hubbard and Brookfield townships because the district maintains its water rates are cheaper.
Also during the meeting, Holloway reported that the apparent low bidder to construct a new standpipe in Niles is Natgun Corp. of Hilliard, Ohio, with a bid of $1.452 million. The contract has not been awarded.
Natgun's bid was close to the engineer's estimate. The total project will cost $1.6 million, Holloway said.
The standpipe will replace the 75-year-old storage tank in Niles' Stevens Park. The tank will be replaced because the current one places too much pressure on waterlines, thus causing them to break.
Concerns at reservoir
Holloway also reported he will bring in the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to advise the district about issues dealing with construction of Interstate 80 twin bridges over Meander Reservoir.
The 1 billion-gallon reservoir is the district's water source.
About 11 acres of MVSD land will be disturbed during the four-year project. The district has concerns such as pollution, razing current structures, and wetlands and wildlife preservation.
Construction of the $86.7 million spans are expected to begin in early spring, ODOT says. Two lanes will be maintained throughout the project.
Holloway also reported that the $7.3 million filter replacement project will be completed in June.
A.P. O'Horo Co. of Youngstown is 85 percent complete with its work, and Conti Corp. of Lowellville is 96 percent done with its contract. The work involves the replacement of 16 filters at a cost of $7.3 million.
yovich@vindy.com