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Local News
Village needs funds for water projects
July 15, 2008 at 11:57 am
By RYAN HORNS
The village of Milford Center finds itself in the position of needing to fund needed water projects, but not having the funds to do so.
The situation apparently sheds light on a larger issue facing small towns all over the state.
“There are a lot of villages and towns not meeting their obligations and they are going down,” councilman Tom Barnhardt said.
However, council members discovered that funding currently being handed out by the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) could be the opportunity the village needs to get some well-needed projects completed. But only if they can submit the application in time.
Engineer Gary Silcott said the village iron filter for its water system is malfunctioning and needs to be replaced. There is also a need for a new generator at the water plant and various water line repair projects.
In total, he said, the village will eventually need to fund $450,000 to $500,000 in needed water system improvements.
Village clerk and treasurer Dawn Barnhardt said there is currently $82,000 in the village water fund.
“We don’t have a whole lot of money,” she said.
“If we say we’re broke will they just give (the money) to us?” councilman Anthony Smith joked.
Tom Barnhardt said he wondered what the repercussions would be for Milford Center residents if those water repairs are not conducted.
Silcott said if the filter is not repaired residents would eventually have rusty water.
The good news, Silcott said, is that the OPWC is expected to hand out $211 million to city and towns across the state for road, water and sewer projects.
With this new funding available, Silcott said 2008 could be “the best chance we’re ever going to get” for the town of 600 to receive funding.
He said the problem is that even if the village receives the funding it requests, being able to afford the 10 to 15 percent in matching funds will also be a problem. So council members may want to decide if they should pursue funding for all three projects, or just focus on one or two.
Silcott said that the village will need to submit its application by this Friday, July 18.
“If you feel rushed, you don’t have to do it this year,” he said.
Councilman Chris Burger pointed out that the village has not had a generator for many years. He said perhaps they should be focused on fixing the iron filter or repairing water lines.
After some discussion council members decided to hold a finance committee meeting on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. to come up with the details of the application. Afterwards, the village council will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. to approve a resolution regarding how much funding to request from OPWC.
Mayor Bob Mitchell said it would give the village time to submit the application to Union County Engineer Steve Stolte by Friday.
In other discussions:
•Council opened bids on street paving work for State Street and four offers were received. Prices for their services came in as high as $76,172 from Kokosing Construction, to $57,850 from Decker Construction.
Tom Barnhardt wondered why there was such a discrepancy between prices.
Silcott said all the materials each company uses has to be Ohio Department of Transportation certified, so quality is not an issue. He said it could come down to each company’s availability or proximity to Milford Center.
• The village mosquito fogging recently took place. Burger noted that he heard a couple residents say that the truck had come by their homes and no fog was coming out to kill the insects.
Silcott said the truck company is paid per application.
Burger wondered if that meant the company could feasibly make runs without turning the mosquito fogger on “and no one would know.”
One councilman joked that the noise from the machine is probably what scared the insects away.
Smith said that the truck came by his home and he saw the fogging machine was working.
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