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Youngstown water commissioner urges quick fix to water tanks
YOUNGSTOWN
Despite the water commissioner’s statements that hiring a company to manage and repair the city’s water tanks is “critical,” city council did not approve legislation to authorize it.
“Time is of the essence with this,” Water Commissioner Harry L. Johnson III told city council Wednesday.
Councilman Mike Ray, D-4th, said, “Everyone is in favor of it, but we have some specific questions.”
Johnson responded that he addressed council’s questions in a committee meeting about a month ago.
Council will have another public utilities committee meeting soon and will vote on the proposal at its next full council meeting, said Councilman T.J. Rodgers, D-2nd.
There isn’t a regularly scheduled council meeting until April 6 so a special meeting is needed to approve the legislation.
The ordinance would allow the board of control to hire a company at an annual cost between $450,000 and $750,000 to manage, maintain, repair, clean the interiors and paint the exteriors of the seven water tanks owed by the city.
It likely would cost $750,000 for the first year, Johnson said.
That’s because two city-owned tanks – one in Liberty on the city’s North Side border and the other on the West Side – need work done, Johnson said.
The Liberty tank is in worse condition than the other, he said.
Not only does that tank need to be painted and have its interior cleaned, it has other problems including loose or missing bolts and sealant loss, Johnson said.
“I’m concerned about that tank,” he said to The Vindicator after the meeting. “It’s time-sensitive, and the more we put it off, the greater the problems. A lot of prep work needs to be done” before the work could start. That work would take at least two months and as much as four, he said.
“We need someone to handle this,” Johnson said. “If [council] had any questions, they could have asked.”
Also at the meeting, council approved legislation to apply for a state loan for up to $2 million to clean contaminants from a property used by Vallourec Star.
The former Dempsey Steel site already has had $1.9 million worth of cleanup done, but PCB contamination in the soil needs to be removed, said city Finance Director David Bozanich.
If approved, the state loan would carry no interest and be paid back over 10 years, he said.
If the city doesn’t get the loan and fails to obtain other state and/or federal financial assistance, it would work out a way to fund the project with the help of Vallourec, he said.
“Right now, we’re not getting too far with the state on a grant so this [loan] is our best option,” said T. Sharon Woodberry, director of the city’s community planning and economic development department.