Funding for the Alvordton sewer project is largely in place and officials keep moving forward on it.
The Williams County commissioners met Tuesday with Williams County Engineer Todd Roth and Deputy Engineer Cody Frey to discuss the project.
“The total project cost was about $6.5 million and includes everything from construction to acquisition, engineering costs, everything,” Frey said.
However, due to the engineer’s office pursuing multiple funding sources, there will be no costs to residents.
Frey said he recently received an announcement from the Environmental Protection Agency that it awarded $2.3 million toward the project, which he said was the last piece needed.
The Ohio Department of Development has also provided $3.8 million and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is offering another $920,000.
“That’ll cover the total project cost,” Frey said.
He added one remaining piece of funding he is looking at is a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for $750,000.
“The part of that we would really like to capture is the easement costs,” Frey said.
He added those costs could be around $100,000 and the CDBG is the only part of the funding that would cover those costs. The county will not receive word on the awarding of that grant until summer.
Roth said the project is similar to the one recently completed in Kunkle in which a variety of funding sources were used. He also said the residents of Alvordton will be able to connect directly to the new system, and in fact, due to the funding used, they will need to connect.
“That is one of the key features of the project is it will be all the way to the point of connection, at no cost to homeowners, but it doesn’t give them an option,” Roth said. “When we’re done, we need them hooked up.”
He added that same scenario was present in the Kunkle project and there was little resistance to it.
Frey said they will also avoid work around U.S. 20 as much as possible so as not to restrict traffic.
He also said existing septic tanks will be filled with stone, caved, covered over and the area reseeded. The existing lines leading to the septic tank will remain as a storm sewer line for downspouts.
Meanwhile, Roth said due to specifics in some of the funding, the project will move forward at a decent clip.
“The deadline that we have in front of us is it has to be under contract by the end of this year,” Roth said.
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