DANVILLE — When the Village of Danville placed its current water lines, Dwight Eisenhower was serving as president of the United States.
Governor Mike DeWine announced on Nov. 14 that the Department of Development will give Danville a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), moving the village one step closer to replacing those circa 1958 lines.
“We have had probably 30-some water breaks in this section that we’re replacing,” Danville Village Administrator Joel Stachler said.
Over the years, we’ve been fighting with iron and magnesium in the system, and [the iron and magnesium] have just pretty much hung on to the pipe and we’ve got all ductile iron.
Danville village administrator Joel Stachler
The project will cost $470,000, and Danville will use the remaining $30,000 from the grant for administrative fees.
Danville is one of 26 communities in Ohio receiving a portion of the nearly $13.8 million in grants for neighborhood revitalization and critical infrastructure construction.
The water line project in Danville falls under the critical infrastructure subhead and will replace 1,790 feet of 8-inch line, add eight new valves to replace failing ones, add four new fire hydrants to replace faulty ones, and replace 300 feet of sidewalk due to previous leaks and misalignment, Stachler said.
The new sidewalks will also be more handicap friendly, allowing for easier access downtown, he said.
The reason for and location of the project
While the water breaks are more than enough reason for this project to get off the ground, Stachler also noted that some stainless-steel clamps and iron and magnesium build-ups are also part of the reason.
“Right in front of the municipal building, we have seven clamps side by side, and the clamps are stainless steel, so they’re not guaranteed for a lifetime,” Stachler said.
“Over the years, we’ve been fighting with iron and magnesium in the system, and [the iron and magnesium] have just pretty much hung on to the pipe and we’ve got all ductile iron.”
The CDBG grant isn’t paying for the design and engineering of this project; the village has already covered that through the water and sewer general fund.
Stachler said construction will start at South Street, “and come clear down to the bridge on Market Street.”
When will construction start?
The village expects to receive the grant money in February 2026, put the project up for bid in early springtime, and then start construction in late spring to early summer, Stachler said.
He is trying to push this project quickly because State Route 62 will also see construction around the same time, and Stachler doesn’t want to have to close a lane for safety issues.
“Some of the water line from the bridge up to our post office is out on the state route, and we’re going to come back in and go underneath the sidewalk,” Stachler said. “So, we’re trying to keep everything away from the state route as much as possible.”
Stachler explained that every municipality is allowed to apply for CDBG grants every two years.
“As we can come up with money that we don’t have to pull out of pocket or loan-wise to help our systems out, we will,” Stachler said. “We’re trying to rebuild the whole system throughout the years.”
The Village Administrator mentioned that the village has tackled water-related issues with the help of CDBG grants in the past, but has also covered them out of pocket.
Businesses and some residents will be the biggest beneficiaries of this project.