Trumbull Co. OKs Howland-Weathersfield sewer project

By Ed Runyan

WARREN — Trumbull County commissioners have given the go-ahead for a sewer project in the Bolindale area of Howland and Weathersfield townships that will benefit 69 property owners.

The commissioners Wednesday also acknowledged completion of the first phase of a large sewer project in the Scott Street area of Newton Township that will serve 65 property owners.

The Bolindale project will serve parts of Bolin Avenue, DeForest Townline Road, Broadway Avenue, Harvey Avenue, Barder Avenue, Athens Drive, Williams Drive, Candace Street and Elizabeth Avenue.

Construction of the $1,972,158 project is expected to begin in February.

Money for the project is coming from the Ohio Public Works Commission, $650,000; a Community Development Block Grant of $790,000; Howland Township, $190,000; and an Ohio EPA/Water Pollution Control Loan Fund zero-percent loan of $342,158 to be paid back by the property owners at a rate of $20.66 per month over 20 years.

An additional $100,000 of federal-stimulus money is available to assist low- to moderate-income households with their sewer connections, and $490,000 of the CDBG allotment is from federal-stimulus funds.

The monthly cost will be reduced if the project is completed at below that estimate, officials with the Trumbull County Sanitary engineer’s office said.

About a dozen property owners in the Scott Street project already have tied into the completed sewer, said Scott Verner, county sanitary engineer. The rest can begin using it now that the commissioners have approved the project, Verner said.

The $2,265,253 sewer serves portions of West River Road, Eckman Avenue, Railroad Street, Chestnut Street, South Canal Street, Broadway Avenue, Cleveland Avenue, Woodland Avenue and Niles Avenue.

The project was funded with an Ohio Public Works Commission grant of $980,000, a Community Development Block Grant of $790,000 and an Ohio EPA/Water Pollution Control Loan Fund zero-percent loan of $495,253. The loan will be repaid by the property owners at a cost of $31.75 per month or less — depending on the final cost — for 20 years.

Meanwhile, North Park Avenue in Warren Township, just north of the Warren city limits, will be closed Monday through Nov. 13 while contractors install a 4,400-foot sewer line to serve North Park Avenue and a portion of North River Road, including Glunt Industries, Thompson Heating and Cooling and Horvath Mobile Home Park.

The sewer line will alleviate health hazards brought about by outdated sewage-treatment facilities, officials said.

County commissioners also approved a licensing agreement between the county and Fairfield Computer Services of Lancaster, Ohio, to operate a dog-licensing Web site for the county that will allow dog owners to buy or renew licenses for a $2 handling fee. The county will pay a one-time fee of $1,440 to get the system started.

The county has 22 dog-licensing outlets in businesses throughout the county where $14 licenses can be purchased for a 75-cent handling fee. The county auditor’s office and the county’s dog kennel on Anderson Avenue in Howland sell the licenses with no handling fee. The online system will be offered as a convenience to those people who don’t want to purchase a license in person, said Adrian Biviano, county auditor. After a customer orders the license with a credit card, the county auditor’s office will send the license in the mail.

The system will be operational near the end of the year and will be accessible through a link on the Trumbull County commissioners’ and Trumbull County auditor’s Web sites.

runyan@vindy.com