STEUBENVILLE - The Jefferson County commissioners signed paperwork Thursday stating the Pottery Addition sewer project is substantially complete.
Shannan Gosbin, county director of sanitary engineering, said paving and restoration work still has to be completed. Commissioners toward the end of the month will be sending letters to residents stating the residents have 90 days to connect their homes to the main sewer lines, Gosbin said.
Work on the $2.3 million project began in February. About 9,800 lineal feet of gravity sewer lines were installed to serve about 110 houses and businesses.
The county is under an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency mandate to install the sewers because of a faulty community septic system that is allowing raw sewage to be dumped into the Ohio River.
Sewage will be treated by Steubenville under a recently signed agreement.
The county received $600,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding obtained through the Jefferson County Regional Planning Commission, $150,000 from the Ohio Public Works Commission, a $817,736 no-interest loan from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and $817,736 grant from the OEPA.
Commissioners also discussed the county water and sewer department response to a power outage on Friday that nearly caused the county to call for water conversation.
Gosbin said portable generators were brought to get the pumps that serve the south end of the county working, but both generators failed. She said the county borrowed a generator from Steubenville.
County Commissioner Thomas Graham said Tiltonsville offered to pump water into the county system.
The power was out to the pumps for more than 12 hours, Gosbin said.
Gosbin said plans to improve the pumping stations at the south end call for permanent generators to be installed. She said three pump sites in the county don't have permanent generators.
Commissioners also received a report detailing problems with low water pressure in the Starr Hill area outside of Bergholz. Gosbin said there are 12 homes on a 2-inch water line installed by the developer or residents years ago. A booster pump could cause the line to break. The cost to fix the problem would be about $30,000.
Commissioners also:
Were presented an $11,441 bill by county Engineer James Branagan to fix a sinkhole in the parking lot at the county Justice Center. The sinkhole was caused by improper fill during construction.
Approved a contract with Howard Bowers Inc. of Wintersville for slip repair projects on county Roads 43, 47 and 55. The engineer's estimate was $140,000. Bowers submitted the lone bid of $128,284.
Approved a three-year labor contract with Communication Workers of America at the engineer's department. The contract calls for a 2 percent raise during each of the three years. Graham noted the overtime has been reduced at the department and there are less workers there now.
Agreed to submit the $166,074 cost of paving St. Joseph Drive in Island Creek Township to the county auditor's office to be placed on the tax bills of the 15 residents on the road during the next 10 years. The residents petitioned the county to have the road paved at their expense. Island Creek Township trustees received a no-interest loan from the Ohio Public Works Commission for the work.
Agreed to advertise for bids for two buses for the county Department of Developmental Disabilities.
Announced the commissioners will meet on July 18 instead of July 19.
