STEUBENVILLE — The Jefferson County Commissioners took the first step Thursday toward replacing Bergholz’s failing water system, authorizing their engineering consultant, Arcadis, to proceed with the design phase.

The cost for the study, which includes grant applications and bidding the project out, cannot exceed $860,000.

In the order, officials said the existing system was originally installed in the 1940s and is “well past it useful life” and in “desperate need of replacement” with leaking pipes and “seemingly routine waterline breaks.” It noted Bergholz residents are “sometimes left without water for hours, if not days, at a time” and any change in system pressures can result in “multiple resultant waterline breaks due to the age of the waterlines and materials.”

Arcadis’s Andrew Dawson told commissioners the design will be done “in conjunction” with the design work being done for the Amsterdam water project.

“As for construction, that will be up to you guys, what projects you want to do first,” Dawson said. “We’ll have to see how the funding plays out — some funding agencies give you funding for just one, some will give you money for both. We’ll just have to see how it plays out.”

Dawson said they “do plan on constructing the villages in two phases,” about half the water line in Amsterdam and about half in Bergholz in Phase 1, and the other half in Phase 2. “That helps lower the construction cost on both projects,” he said, adding that to be able to “shrink these projects down into smaller projects” will save time and money.

Commissioner Tony Morelli pointed out the upgrade will serve about 700 customers — more than half of them in Amsterdam.

Action was tabled on Water and Sewer District Director Mike Eroshevich’s request for a sewer rate hike.

Eroshevich told commissioners the sewer department has about $400,000 in its operational fund and a $252,000 USDA loan payment due in April and monthly operating expenses averaging about $150,000.

“The sewer department has reached a critical point in its budget,” Eroshevich wrote in requesting the increase. “The last significant sewer rate increase was 2009-2011. In the 14 years since that rate increase the district has completed EPA-mandated projects in Pottery Addition, Crestview-Belvedere, Amsterdam, Smithfield and Ridgeland for (roughly) $32 million.”

Eroshevich reminded commissioners OEPA has ordered them to fix or replace the Maplewood, Mellwood, Century Hills and Barbers Hollow wastewater treatment plans — work that will likely cost in the $10 million-$15 million range — during the next eight years.

Eroshevich also said they’re currently using most of their sewer revenue to cover loan payments for prior projects, and asked commissioners to consider implementing a $10 monthly infrastructure charge on all sewer bills and raise the sewer overage rate from $7.50 per 1,000 gallons to $10. He also wants to charge outside haulers $20 to dump sewage at the Barbers Hollow plant.

“These changes will provide the department with the revenue it needs in the near term to operate its eight wastewater treatment plans, collection systems, 39 lift stations and pay its debt service (on loans),” he said, pointing out that, without relief, the district is facing an $89,000 deficit this year.

Morelli said there will be a work session next week concerning the department’s financial state.

“Although it’s not a popular thing to do, in my opinion we are going to have to have a rate increase and the only question is how much,” he said. “Our engineering firm and our staff will be putting together the data commissioners will need to come up with just what it will take to move forward and create the least amount of pain for our customers. There will be a lot more information concerning this in the next couple weeks.”

Commissioner Eric Timmons questioned if the department “could get by with less of an increase to get (the department) through this year, budget-wise.”

“I understand times are tough,” he said. “But we have lot of citizens who are on fixed incomes.”

“That’s why I think we need some time to think about it,” Morelli said. “Nobody likes to raise water and sewer rates, including me. But I don’t want to (ignore the problem), either.”

Commissioner Jake Kleineke said he “likes the idea of raising rates for outside septic haulers to dump, that’s a strain on the system.”

“We should reap a little income to substantiate the extra work we take on (because of) the outside haulers,” he added.

Commissioners also plan to move forward with plans to relocate the prosecutor’s office.

Currently housed in the Jefferson County Justice Center, Prosecutor Jane Hanlin several weeks ago requested permission to seek proposals for a rental space due to recurring problems with inmates flooding the office with toilet water.

At Thursday’s meeting, commissioners accepted the only proposal submitted, by Cheyenne Rental, in the old title office on North Third Street directly across from the courthouse, subject to a legal opinion from Assistant Prosecutor Shawn Blake.

“These incidents have created unhealthy working conditions and destruction of records that need to be kept,” Morelli said. “Also, the clean-up costs are sometimes very expensive — one recent incident cost the county over $80,000 alone.”

Once the prosecutor’s staff is moved out, he said, “Our plan is … to get a firm to come in and (see) what it would take to fix (the flooding issue) once and for all.”

“That being done, there are multiple ideas of how the space could possibly be used that would create extra revenue for the county. Personally, I would not want to work in those conditions and it is not fair to ask our employees to so. It is time for a permanent solution instead of a ‘fingers-crossed it won’t happen again’ approach.”