Minutes of the Public Meeting Regarding Infrastructure Rehabilitation and Possible Village Participation in The Ohio Public Works Commission State Capital Improvement and/or Local Transportation Improvement Program(s)
August 20, 2012
The Council of the Village of Riverlea met on the above date at the Thomas Worthington High School, Worthington. The following Council members were present: Mayor Kirk M. McHugh, Jon L. Ankrom, Scott K. Gordon, Donald E. Griffith, Briggs W. Hamor and Eric A. MacGilvray, President Pro-Tem. Jenny D. Jones was absent. Also present were Pamela M. Colwell, Clerk-Treasurer, Steven W. Mershon, Solicitor, William P. Charles, Street Commission, Karen McElmurray, Marshal, Lois Yoakam, Newsletter Editor and Jim Dippel, Burgess & Niple. Five residents attended the meeting. At 6:45 p.m. the Mayor called the meeting to order.
Council Member Briggs Hamor made the presentation.
The Committee on Infrastructure was formed in March 2012 to look into the repairs, maintenance and improvement of the Village’s infrastructure and to develop a timeline for these as well as investigating funding. The Committee consists of himself as Chair, Council Member Eric MacGilvray, Bill Charles, Street Commissioner, and three residents. They identified four potential projects: sanitary sewers, storm sewers, streets and water lines. The sanitary sewers became a priority due to a commitment to the EPA to begin work on the sewers by February 2014. MORPC has provided assistance and education to us for funding sources.
The estimated cost of the work on the sanitary sewers is between $600,000 and $700,000. Research into funding produced two options: loans and grants. The State Capital Improvement Program (SCIP) administered through the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) offers loan and grant funding. The sanitary sewer work is only eligible for a loan. The terms of the loan is 0% interest for up to 30 years and this is what we will apply for. MORPC handles the application process and has volunteered to review our application prior to submission to make sure there are no problems with it. The application is due September 17, 2012. Burgess & Niple (B&N) will be helping us because their expertise is needed regarding the engineering requirements and they also have experience with this for other small municipalities. The estimated cost of their assistance is $10,000; however, the Village is doing what it can to lower the cost significantly. This is mainly due to the work provided by Bill Charles. A preliminary application decision will be announced on December 7, 2012, with a final decision announced on December 14 after a short review period. We have been told that we have a strong case for approval, especially since we have never asked for funding before, but there are no guarantees. If the SCIP application is unsuccessful, MORPC will recommend our project to the statewide Small Government Program for review in the spring of 2013.
We are also going to apply for a grant of up to $200,000 through the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG). The Village should be able to complete most of the application and B&N can provide the environmental impact portion of the report for about $3,800. The application is due around the end of October 2012. If we are awarded a grant, the amount will come off of the loan.
A resident asked what would happen if the Village received no funding? Hamor answered that the Village has committed with Ohio EPA to begin the work by 2014, and so would need to seek other funding sources, such as bonds, additional tax levies and assessments if this source were unavailable, and he expected those sources to be significantly more expensive.
Another resident expressed her appreciation for the work of the Committee on Infrastructure regarding this matter.
Adjournment
KIRK M. MCHUGH, MAYOR
M. COLWELL, CLERK OF COUNCIL