Poland residents get reprieve from noisy Aqua Ohio project
By Jessica Hardin
jhardin@vindy.com
POLAND
To the relief of Locust Lane residents, the incessant clanging that’s been reverberating through the township the last two weeks has finally ceased.
The source of the disruptive noise is the Aqua Ohio water-treatment facility on state Route 170. At the site, the water company is constructing an $11 million upgrade.
When Carol Morris, who lives on Route 170, reached out Tuesday afternoon to The Vindicator, she didn’t need to describe the clangor. She just walked outside and held her phone up.
The thunderous crack of metal being driven into the earth pulsed without end.
“The noise is headache-making,” Morris said.
Holly Fender, a Locust Lane resident, likened it to a migraine. Her husband, Tom, explained the noise started at 8 a.m. and continued until 6 p.m. even though the crew leaves about 3 p.m. “They’ve been pounding those for 10 days now,” he said.
Local government officials, however, seemingly dismissed the concerns of residents living near the project.
“It’s construction. It’s going to be noisy. Construction is noise,” township Administrator Jim Scharville said. “Is it inconvenient? Yes. Will it benefit communities? Absolutely.”
Scharville said the township did not notify residents affected by the project because “[Aqua Ohio] said they would take care of public relations.”
From his perspective, Aqua Ohio effectively handled the situation.
“They hold public meetings. They send notices. They advertise in the paper,” Scharville said.
But property owners near the site say the opposite is true.
“They [Aqua Ohio] never approached us as a group,” Morris said.
Holly Fender said the only warning she received was from the subcontractor at the beginning of construction near Labor Day.
“Holly was talking with one of the guys beforehand. They said, ‘We’re going to be here seven or eight months. We’re going to make some noise. It will be loud sometimes,’” Tom Fender said.
Aqua Ohio spokesman Jeff LaRue said the company planned to communicate with neighbors about the project once an official start date and project schedule were set.
What local residents had been hearing were the sound of pilings being driven into the ground, which is part of the site-preparation work that needed to take place before the project gets underway, LaRue said.
Fortunately, he said, that was the noisiest work neighbors will hear over the course of the project, which is slated to take about a year.
As for what the project entails, LaRue likened it to upgrading from a Ford Model T to a Ford F-150 truck.
“With modern demands and regulatory standards, we just have to revamp the whole plant,” he said. “Once it’s done, two-thirds of any piece of equipment that treats water in the plant will be brand new.”
LaRue noted the site-preparation work, which began last Monday, was slated to take about three weeks but was expedited due to neighbors’ frustrations.
“That is the noisiest part of the project, so that is the best news for the neighbors,” he said.
The plant serves customers in Struthers, Poland Village and Township, Lowellville, New Middletown and Beaver, Boardman, Canfield, Coitsville and Springfield townships.
Contributor: Staff reporter Jordyn Grzelewski.