Ashland County commissioners chose a Loudonville utility replacement proposal as the county’s leading candidate for Ohio Public Works Commission aid, acting at a meeting late last month.
The village’s project would replace about 850 feet of eight-inch sanitary sewer and associated laterals, plus 1,100 linear feet of six-inch water line, along North Water Street, Humm Avenue and Rose Court. The estimate is $924,000, with Loudonville seeking $462,000 from OPWC. County Engineer Ed Meixner said it scored 49 points and recommended it as the top priority.
A second application came from the Lorain County Rural Wastewater District for its Cinnamon Lake facility in Jackson Township. Meixner described plans for a 30-by-30-foot building over an existing lift station to shelter screening equipment and store spare pumps. That project is estimated at $584,000 and seeks a $250,000 grant plus a $250,000 loan; it scored 44.
Meixner said scoring considers repair versus new construction, district need, expected life, loan requests, local share, readiness and user fees, among other factors. Requests above $500,000 lose 10 points, he said.
The county received two applications this year, fewer than its usual five or six, Meixner said. Both now proceed to the District 16 Integrating Committee, where they will be scored against proposals from Wayne, Richland, Crawford, Seneca, Wyandot, Marion and Hardin counties.
District 16 has $13.6 million available, Meixner said: $2.6 million for local transportation improvements, $8.9 million in capital improvement grants and $2 million in revolving loans. He said projects generally need at least 40 points to receive funding.