SALEM – While improvements at the city’s wastewater treatment plant are crossing the finish line, improvements at the water treatment plant remain off-track.

During the city council’s Dec. 16 meeting Utilities Superintendent Butch Donnalley said that phase three improvements at the city wastewater treatment plant had reached substantial completion, meaning that all the new equipment, processes, and buildings the department was required to install under its consent decree with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency were complete and operational.

During the Utilities Commission’s meeting Thursday, Utilities Commission Chair Bob Hodgson said that the department had submitted its notice of substantial completion for the project to both the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Office. The commissioners were also updated on the project by Wastewater Treatment Plant Manager Dean Stokes, who said that the last month had been spent completing the project’s final punch list items and that the project was nearing total completion.

The department’s newest project is also progressing, with Howells & Baird President Jon Vollnogle telling the commissioners that Howells & Baird were working on the project drawings for the upcoming South Ellsworth Avenue water main replacement, and that he expects the project to be ready to go out for bid in January.

He also said that there was a brick storm sewer running through the area where the new line is set to be installed which would complicate the project. He explained that there was not enough room for the new line to be installed above the line, and that the department would likely need to bore under the sewer to run a section of the line beneath it.

However, upgrades at the water treatment plant remain incomplete despite the contracted date for substantial completion having passed and a requested extension to July 27 denied by the commissioners in their prior meeting on Nov. 11. Project Engineer Drew Paul said that Project Contractor A. P. Ohoro still had not reached substantial completion and Hodgson said that a letter was sent out which reiterated that there would be no extension, and that the department would be invoking liquidated damages against A.P. Ohoro for its continued failure to complete construction.

Paul also said that on Dec. 17, A.P. Ohoro had asked for permission for two 16-inch flanged gate valves from the mixing system to be given to the city of Warren for an emergency repair. Donnalley said that he had spoken with Warren’s water department to confirm the severity of the emergency, and that after doing so had authorized the use of the valves.

Donnalley also said that the Warren department had told him they would continue reminding A.P. Ohoro that the valves would need to be replaced during construction meetings.

Paul said that Benesch would be requesting confirmation that the replacement valves had been ordered and an expected completion date, and that the estimated lead time for the replacements to arrive was four to eight weeks.

The meeting concluded with an executive session for the discussion of legal matters with no action to follow.

The utilities commission will meet next at 3 p.m. Jan. 15.