MARIETTA - Washington County will receive a $400,000 grant and a $1 million no-interest loan for phase two of Devola sanitary sewer improvements, Washington County Commissioner Cora Marshall announced at a commission meeting Thursday.
"The $400,000 is not a loan, it doesn't have to be reimbursed," Commissioner Tim Irvine said.
"It's very important to end users to reduce the upfront cost to them," Marshall said.
The grant and loan were approved by the Ohio Public Works Commission. However, the plan for phase two of the improvement project must still receive final state approval, Marshall said.
The projected cost for phase two of the Devola sanitary sewer improvements is $5.9 million. Approximately 440 customers in the Devola area will be impacted.
In the meantime, the project schedule will be submitted to the Ohio EPA, Marshall said.
Fact Box
Project Schedule for Improvements
* Dec. 28: Permit to install approved by Ohio EPA (anticipated).
* May: Advertise for construction bids.
* June: Bid opening and contract award.
* July: Begin construction.
* July 2014: Construction completed.
Source: Washington County Commissioners.
According to the schedule, the county anticipates receiving approval for a permit to install on Dec. 28
The project will be advertised for construction bids in May, the bid opening and contract award will be in June, construction will begin in July and construction will be completed in July 2014.
In June, Washington County will apply for a 1 percent loan from the state for the remaining $4.5 million needed to complete the project, Marshall said.
In addition, the Washington County Commission approved an Ohio Water Development Authority draw down of $45,975.15 to pay Stantec of Logan for a portion of its work on phase two of the Devola sanitary sewer improvements.
Stantec will be paid is $381,276. To date, Stantec has invoiced the county $256,629.85 with 67 percent of their project work completed to date.
The county has been working with John Grosse, a Columbus-based consulting engineer with Stantec to determine a plan and time schedule to be submitted to the Ohio EPA for addressing Devola's sewer issues.
In other business:
The proposed Emergency Operations Center for Washington County is likely one step closer to becoming a reality.
The Washington County Emergency Management Association received a notice from the state of Ohio saying the agency has been awarded a special projects grant that is part of the state's emergency management performance grant.
The grant, a 50-50 match, is for a project estimate of $475,000 for the Emergency Operations Center, said Jeff Lauer, Washington County EMA director.
"This is the only (state emergency management) grant that allows us to build anything structurally," he added.
The grant "is not set in stone until we get a notice of award and it's signed by the state and the county," Lauer cautioned.
Timing for the Emergency Operations Center project is not yet known, he said.
"This is a very, very early stage," he added. "January could be the start of the project, pending notice of award."
According to Lauer, the Ohio Emergency Management Agency wants every county to have an Emergency Operations Center.
