Niles misses deadline, loses EPA funds

By JORDAN COHEN

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

NILES — The superintendent of Niles’ waste treatment plant revealed Wednesday that the Environmental Protection Agency has withdrawn $1.1 million in stimulus funding it had originally approved for the city’s new sanitary-sewer overflow facility.

“We did not meet the timeline required for the EPA’s permit to install,” said Superintendent Randy Fabrizio. “It’s one of those obscure things, and it wasn’t made clear to us at the time.”

In addition, Mayor Ralph Infante said the city lost an additional $400,000 it had hoped to receive for the plant due to federal budget cuts.

Infante said Niles already has been assured of $1.6 million in funding and will look to make up the loss from the stimulus and budget cuts through loans from either Trumbull County or the Ohio Water Development Authority.

Plans for the new facility have been under development for 18 months. Fabrizio said projected costs of the overflow plant have “ballooned to $3.3 million,” well above the original estimate of $2 million.

In the meantime, the city will advertise for bids on the project. Council approved first reading of the ordinance Wednesday.

The new sanitary-sewer facility will be located on Lawnview Avenue. Fabrizio said construction is scheduled to begin by February.