State grant likely for new walkway

ST. MARYS - Council members on Monday learned the city likely will receive a grant to cover the majority of the cost to construct a pedestrian walkway on State Route 66 over U.S. 33 near the junior high/high school complex.

Council members also heard several residents share their concerns about flooding.

Safety service director Greg Foxhoven said the city likely will receive $2.375 million from the Ohio Department of Transportation.

"We have not officially been awarded this, but we were notified last week in an email that ODOT would fund $2.375 million of that," he said. "They wanted to know how we felt about that."

With the grant, the city would need to cover the remaining $1.5 million of the estimated cost, he added.

"We feel we should move forward with this. We've talked about some loan issues, some bonding that we can do," he said.

If all continues as projected, he noted, the walkway likely would be built in 2019 or 2020. Official notification is expected later this fall.

Another city project garnering attention at Monday's meeting was the renovation of the old Reservoir Mill on High Street. The approval of state historians has been needed to get the project off the ground, and mayor Patrick McGowan said he believes the city is much closer to gaining that approval.

"As of today's email, it looks like they are willing to take everything back to the original structure and let us proceed forward," he said.

"We feel good about the progress we have made," Foxhoven added.

City officials could use $650,000 in state revolving loan funds to restore the roof and exterior walls of the 1847 mill if final approval is received.

In other news, about a dozen residents voiced concerns about their basements and yards flooding near West High and Augustus streets.

"We have some concerns with the water issue, with the rain and whatnot," said West High Street resident Denise Brown. "Several years ago, it wasn't that big of a thing, but now there is a torrential river coming down the alley from North Street and running into my backyard."

Brown's complaints were echoed by numerous others who mentioned additional issues such as septic water coming through drains and basement walls. Others blamed tree roots clogging the wastewater system. Still others cited traffic on the streets, splashing the rainwater into local yards.

"Since I bought the home, I've diverted the downspouts to the street where they are supposed to be and the sump pump," Brown said. "I've retiled the house. I've put in a check valve so the sewer can't back up. I have done everything including a city siphon in my sump pump. We need to do something. This is a 30-year problem."

Water and sewer superintendent Jeff Thompson said the rainfall this year so far has far surpassed 2016's total, overwhelming the city's sewer systems. Last year's total rainfall was 28.19 inches. The average for a year is 36.82 inches. The area already has received 39.54 inches through July 24.

"We've got a lot of people in the city that have illegal hookups," he said. "They have downspouts going into the sanitary and sump pumps going into the sanitary. Our typical flow in the sewage plant is 2 million gallons a day. I've seen it exceed 18 million when we get these issues."

He said he realizes that many homes have systems that were installed according to the law, but laws have changed and the city does not have ordinances to enforce laws concerning proper disposal of wastewater from sump pumps and downspouts or to repair broken lateral pipes connecting houses with the wastewater drains.

Thompson also shared his belief that the proposed reconstruction of Spring Street will help the situation around West High and Augustus by taking pressure off the wastewater system.

"Thank you for coming tonight to express your concerns," said council president Jim Harris. "We didn't get into this overnight, and we ain't going to get out of it overnight."

Harris called for a meeting of the streets and sidewalks committee to consider enforceable ordinances to help alleviate the pressure on city systems due to illegal hookups. That public meeting was set for 5:15 p.m. Aug. 21.  

In other action, members,

• approved an emergency ordinance annexing a parcel of just over two acres from Noble Township into the city at the request of the property owners.

• approved an emergency ordinance authorizing celebration of the Rotary Park project to honor former Rotary member Marvin Buehler.