LISBON — The program to extend well water sampling related to the East Palestine train disaster outside the established priority zones may launch in September, Columbiana County Port Authority Assistant Executive Director Brittany Smith said.

At least that is what she hopes as the board finalizes some contracts needed to roll out the water testing being funded with a $2 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, via a partnership between the CCPA and the county health district, whose personnel will collect the water samples.

On Monday, the CCPA board authorized Smith to negotiate, approve and execute proposals for a contract with Tetra Tech, the Canfield engineering consulting company which scored highest on its Statement of Qualifications to provide public education and outreach services for the water sampling program. The program will run through Dec. 31, 2031. There was one other company which submitted a Statement of Qualifications.

“We are actively working with the health department and the EPA to develop a strategic plan to guide our next steps into the program roll out,” Smith said in her report.

Some of the services Tetra Tech will provide include: conducting public-facing educational sessions to explain the purpose, process and importance of potable water well testing; helping residents understand their individual test results and what they mean for their household safety; developing accessible educational materials, both digital and printed, to explain how testing is conducted, why it matters and what steps residents can take in response to results; posting monthly social media posts; advertising for the program; and supporting ongoing public engagement and communication through the end of the grant program.

Next Smith said they will be advertising for proposals for labs to do the testing of the samples gathered by the health department. She said the CCPA will have to call a special meeting to select the lab since the CCPA’s next regular meeting isn’t until 5 p.m. Sept. 25.

The health district and CCPA signed agreements last year to work together on the program, with the CCPA handling the administration of the grant and the health district conducting the sampling work. Under the contract, the CCPA will receive up to 7 percent of the awarded grant amount for administrative services, with 3 percent of the awarded grant amount going to the health district as compensation for work performed.

Since the 2023 East Palestine train disaster, the health district has been collecting private water samples for testing in the priority zones, with maps showing the locations of the property zones on the health district website at www.columbiana-health.org, along with results of the water testing.

The promised grant will enable the health district to go outside of those areas to test well water at no cost to the property owners.

In other business, the CCPA board authorized Smith to negotiate, approve and execute the necessary documents to apply for the 2025 U.S. Marine Highway Program, to secure funding for the purchase and integration of two diesel-over-hydraulic 8-yard clamshell buckets to improve efficiency and reliability of marine cargo handling operations at Pier 48.

The total project cost is $557,827, with the grant request totaling $440,683 and a required match totaling $117,143 from Pier 48. Smith noted in her report that the new buckets will replace two aging 10-yard buckets made in 1976 and later refurbished. One of the old buckets is no longer in service and the other requires shutdowns and repairs.

Smith said the deadline to apply is Thursday. She said she expects to hear about the grant by Dec. 31. The board also authorized Smith to execute a memorandum of understanding with John Frankovitch, president of Port of Ohio at Pier 48, the co-applicant for the grant.

During her report, she announced the contract with Town Center Associates has been extended for another 12 months for the downtown program to help out the seven communities with walkable downtowns, including Leetonia, Lisbon, Columbiana, Wellsville, East Liverpool, East Palestine and Salem. A downtown properties strategy session will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 5 at the CCPA focusing on building and signage improvements. The invitation has been extended to council members, planning commission members, chambers of commerce and other community leaders in those communities.

In other matters, she introduced Dylan Fletcher, of Columbiana, who is serving as a summer intern with CCPA and the Economic Development Department. He is a member of the city planning commission in Columbiana and is studying business at Kent State University. He will be with CCPA through the end of August. The board approved renewing a CD for another six months at Consumers Bank. The amount of the CD is $1.1 million and the rate will be 3.83 percent. Some language was clarified in the ACCESS Fiber Network documents which were previously approved in 2023.

Smith said everything went well in the 2023-2024 state audit of CCPA. She said the free job board posted to the website which she mentioned at the last meeting was well received, with several businesses participating and the job board updated regularly.

mgreier@mojonews.com