By Wayne Allen
Scioto County Sanitary Engineer Joe Delong said the $30 million Minford Sanitary Sewer Project is on track to be finished next month. Local and state officials gathered at the Greater Portsmouth Airport and ceremoniously broke ground on the project about a year ago.
The origins of this project dates back to 2010 when the county was awarded more than $29.4 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds were obligated for the Scioto / Minford project through USDA’s Water and Environmental Program, (WEP) including a $14,912,000 low-interest loan and $14,507,000 grant to the Scioto Board of Commissioners. Additional leverage includes $944,000 from the county and just over $638,000 from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
When the Minford Sewer Project was bid out, it was done so in three contracts. According to bid specifications, work will consist of the construction of a sanitary sewer collection system for Muletown, Minford, and surrounding communities.
The engineer’s estimate for the Minford contract is $12 million with an estimated completion time of a year.
Work on the Clarktown Contract will consist of the construction of a sanitary sewer collection system for the community of Clarktown and several adjacent neighborhoods. The engineer’s estimate for the Clarktown contract is $7 million. The estimated completion time for this contract is one year.
Work on the Rubyville contract calls for the construction of a sanitary sewer collection system for the community of Rubyville, and several adjacent neighborhoods. The engineer’s estimate for this Rubyville contract is $5 million.
The project calls for the installation of 30 miles of sewer mains, a new waste water treatment plant and other items. The project is estimated to provide sewage service to 1,327 existing homes along with modest growth capacity for the entire service area.
The Scioto County Commissioners have passed a resolution establishing mandatory hookups to the Minford Sewer District for those who live in the area once the system is completed.
The resolution states, “The Scioto County Board of Health has passed a resolution stating that the reason for the Minford Sewage Project is to reduce or eliminate an existing health problem or hazard of water pollution. Ohio Revised Code section 6117.51 permits the Board of County Commissioners, to order the owner of any premises located in the Minford Sewer District, the owner’s agent, lessee, or tenant, or any other occupant of the premises to connect to premises to the sewer for the purpose of discharging sewage or other waste that the board determines is originating on the premises, to make use of the connection, and to cease the discharge of the sewage or other waste into a cesspool, ditch, private sewer, privy, septic tank, semipublic disposal system.”
The resolution further states that the “owner, agent, lessee, tenant or occupant shall comply with this order with 90 days after the completion of service of the order upon the person.”
Wayne Allen can be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 1933 or on Twitter @WayneallenPDT
