Trending
WASHINGTONVILLE -- Village Council this week selected a civil engineering firm to design the new water tower.
Council hired Engineering Associates of Wooster for the design engineering of the tower, which will now be submitted to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for approval.
Once approved, council can use the design plan to apply for funding through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.
Council reviewed design proposals from both Engineering Associates and Howells & Baird at a special meeting. Council delayed the decision for two weeks so Howells & Baird could provide a cost estimate. Engineering Associates had already prepared the preliminary cost estimate for replacing the water tower.
Council is moving forward with replacing the water tower, which has been identified as an immediate need in the asset management plan developed by the Rural Community Assistance Program (RCAP). The project is estimated at $1.2 million, but the village has secured nearly half the funding already with a $60,000 design loan through the Ohio Water Development Authority (OWDA) and $500,000 through the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC). The village could also get up to $500,000 from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.
Joseph Lawrie, senior rural development specialist with RCAP), told council in December it needed to hire a consultant to design the tower and submit the plan for approval to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency by March or April in order to apply for the CDBG grant.
According to Lawrie, if the village secures the CDBG funding to go with the OWDA loan and OPWC grant, that would leave roughly $200,000 for the village to finance. The estimated average rate increase per month per customer would be $1.85. Without the CDBG funding, the village would need to finance or borrow $700,000, meaning an estimated average increase of $6.48 per month per customer.
Council's next regular meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at the administration building.
khowell@salemnews.net