Officials to put Trumbull sewer project up for bid

By Ed Runyan

The sewers are likely to be ready to use by around August.

WARREN — Construction of sewers in the Howland Township neighborhood of West Bolindale is expected to begin in March.

Gary Newbrough, project planning director for the Trumbull County Sanitary Engineer’s Department, said the project will provide sewers to 69 homes and businesses on nine streets and in the 183-pad Brentwood mobile home park on DeForest Road. The homes currently use septic systems.

The neighborhood is on the west side of state Route 169 near the Ridge Road and DeForest Road intersections.

It includes part of DeForest Road and part or all of Bolindale, Broadway, Harvey, Elizabeth and Barder avenues, Athens and Williams drives and Candace Street.

Trumbull County commissioners are expected today to approve putting out the $2 million project to bid next week.

Newbrough said the low-to-moderate income of the residents of West Bolindale makes the project eligible for many grant and loan programs, including $1.5 million from the state. Of that, $600,000 was federal stimulus money.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency also is providing a zero- percent loan of $337,158 that the benefiting property owners will have to repay over time on their monthly sewer bills.

Howland Township trustees contributed $190,000 toward the project, which will reduce the construction cost to the property owners from around $31.83 per month to around $20.66 per month, Newbrough said, adding that the actual cost will be determined after the project is complete.

Most sewer projects done by the county have been completed for less than the estimated cost, which reduces the cost to the affected property owners, Newbrough said.

The construction cost is in addition to each property owner’s monthly service charge, which is based on usage.

Construction is expected to take about six months. A sewer line will be extended about a half-mile south from the southeast part of Warren to serve the neighborhood, Newbrough said.

The Trumbull County Health Department declared the neighborhood a nuisance because all of the septic systems there were failing, Newbrough said. Testing done in the roadside ditches there determined that fecal coliform levels were well above acceptable limits, in some cases “too numerous to count,” Newbrough said.

In other business, commissioners expect one or more Mahoning County commissioners to attend today’s commissioners meeting, where Trumbull commissioners are expected to approve the annexation of 190 acres of land from Girard to Youngstown in anticipation of the proposed expansion of V&M Star Steel on U.S. Route 422.

runyan@vindy.com