Sewer line to be completed in July

By Mary Grzebieniak

NEW SPRINGFIELD — Mahoning County Sanitary Engineer Joe Warino has told Springfield Township residents that the Petersburg sanitary sewer line will be completed by July 17.

He said the connection cost will average $3,500. This includes a $1,300 permit, $1,000 for abandoning the existing septic tank and the cost of the line from the street to the residence. Costs will be higher for homes farther from the street, he said.

Once the line is completed, the county board of health will send letters to residents within 200 feet of the line, giving them 180 days to tie on

A meeting will be set for mid-July to inform residents of grant and loan assistance available to help with the cost, he said.

Residents whose properties have not been restored to their pre-project state should call his office immediately so that necessary work can be done within time limits: (330) 793-5514.

Those who are not on a gravity flow system do not have to tie onto the sewer line. But the cost for a grinder pump is an additional $3,200 for those who want the service, he said.

Warino said that he expects the Petersburg water line to be completed by February 2009.

Springfield Township Trustee Robert Orr said that Aqua Ohio has waived tap-in fees for all Petersburg water-line customers and he congratulated the water company for expediting the project in the Petersburg area.

The water-line hookup is optional. But Orr said he encourages anyone along Garfield Road to tie into the water line because “we have been told they will be mining in that area for a long time and your water source could be unstable.”

Acting Fire Chief Matt Gebhardt said he expects homeowners’ insurance rates to decrease once hydrants are installed in the area.

In another matter, trustees have agreed to take a five-year $286,713 loan at 4 percent interest from Farmers National Bank, Damascus, to buy a new Sutphen fire engine with a six-man cab. The vehicle will be purchased from Sutphen Corp., Columbus, under the state purchase program. Delivery is expected by the end of the year.

Trustees had approved purchase of the truck at a May 28 special meeting. The truck will be paid for from proceeds of a one-mill fire equipment levy passed in 2005. Acting Fire Chief Matt Gebhardt said the purchase means the department will now have two good pumpers, including one that is still being paid off, each with an expected life of 30 years. A 1985 Kenmore engine will be retired when the new vehicle arrives.