MOUNT VERNON — City Council gave the green light for City Engineer Brian Ball to apply for a Community Development Block Grant for a sewer project in the area of Stump, Northview and North Sandusky streets.
The majority of the area is in Clinton Township and involves 39 homes. Nineteen homes are not connected to the city’s sanitary sewer system; 18 of the 19 septic systems are in poor condition.
“Three houses currently discharge sewage into the ditch on Sandusky Street,” Ball said.
Knox Public Health designated the three properties as a public health nuisance. Another six homes have systems that are temporary or noncompliant to current codes.
“The properties are too small to install full-size septic,” Ball said. “They really need this project to get it fixed.”
For other homes that are connected to city sewer, the line was not installed to current standards and needs replaced.
All of the homes in the area receive city water via a 2-inch and 6-inch line. The lines dead end, are not properly looped, and have had multiple breaks. In addition to providing sanitary sewer to the 19 homes, the project includes installing about 1,220 linear feet of water line.
“The idea of this project is whether we want to connect sewer or not, we will have to replace the water lines,” Ball said.
Ball said that the township planned to do the project in 2010 but did not have the money.
“We picked up the plans and basically finished it for them,” he told council.
The area is not designated a low- to moderate-income (LMI) census tract, but a door-to-door survey showed that 65% are LMI. Thirteen households qualify for a free tap to the city’s sewer line.
The remaining homes would pay a $110 tap fee plus the cost of hiring a plumber to make the connection. Ball said that is cheaper than the more than $10,000 it costs to install a new septic tank.
No one will pay a tap fee for city water.
The project cost is $949,300. The grant application is for $455,300; the remaining $494,000 is city responsibility.
“We will use our water project as our match to build the sanitary sewer to this neighborhood,” Ball explained.
Clinton Township residents pay a 40% surcharge for their city water plus a $15 monthly membership fee. The membership fee goes back to the township. The city will use part of the 40% surcharge to fund the project.
Ball said the city has been working with John Holland, chairman of the Clinton Township Water and Sewer District, on the project. Township trustees are also aware of the project.
A public meeting is set for Monday, July 12 at 11 am.
If the CDBG grant is approved, Ball will come back to council for authorization to bid and contract the project. He anticipates bidding the project near winter to take advantage of better pricing.
Work would be scheduled for 2022. The city would have two years to complete the project.
Council passed legislation as an emergency authorizing Ball to apply for the grant.
Council also passed as an emergency legislation that increases the pay for lifeguards at Hiawatha Water Park by 50 cents an hour.
Jerry Klinger, parks and recreation director, said the goal is to have a minimum of 50 lifeguards. Only 13 guards came back from 2019. After the city’s sixth training session ended on Sunday, the count is up to 45.
New hourly rates for guards at Hiawatha Water Park range from $9.45 to $10.70. The head lifeguard receives $10.95 per hour.
In comparison, Klinger said guards at Sockman Lake received $13 an hour; that was recently bumped up to $15. Apple Valley also pays higher than the city.
According to Auditor Terry Scott, the additional $7,000 a year to cover the 50 cent increase is available in the city’s budget.
The city pays $100 of the $225 training fee. It was suggested the city look at paying the remaining $125 of the training fee for the guards. Another suggestion is to give guards a payment at the end of the season as incentive to make sure they stay.
Council took the following additional actions:
•Voted down a proposal to amend the voting sequence order
•Approved the development plan of Schlabach Builders for Gilchrist Estates
•Approved supplemental appropriations and fund transfers
•Gave a first reading to no-confidence legislation for the safety-service director
•Gave a first reading to legislation setting the compensation of seasonal personnel in the fire department. Seasonal personnel will be used to conduct the annual testing of fire hoses and hydrants.
Council went into executive session to discuss personnel. No action was taken.
