MANSFIELD — Richland County commissioners took the next step Tuesday in what’s expected to become a $4 million upgrade to the sanitary sewer system in Bellville near the I-71/Ohio 97 interchange.
Commissioners approved a $358,571 contract with Richland Engineering Ltd. to do the final engineering design for the project in a corridor that’s expected to be an emerging large growth area in the county.
Commissioners approved the use of American Rescue Plan Act funds during a meeting with Patrick Schwan, principal engineer for REL; Amanda Miller, the county’s wastewater treatment director, and county administrator Andrew Keller.
Planning for growth in the I-71/Ohio 97 corridor
Schwan said planners working on the preliminary design have looked at existing needs and also the numbers being suggested for additional growth.
“All we can try to do is accommodate what we know for sure and then be able to develop the improvement so that there is some means to be expanded in the future if things aren’t ready now,” Schwan said.
“By the time we go to construction, I’m not sure we’re going to know what’s all going be in place, but it’s not likely that everything’s gonna be online.
“(So we are) trying to accommodate for the things we know are gonna happen by the time we have our improvements ready for construction and then, have some ability to have the expansion of the equipment,” Schwan said.
In February, commissioners approved a $43,344 contract with the Mansfield firm to do the preliminary design phase of a project that will upgrade and/or replace the sewer system from Bellville-Johnsville Road past the Love’s Travel Stop to the west of I-71.
Process actually began a year ago
A year ago, commissioners approved a “significant” sanitary sewer infrastructure proposal that will open the door to additional economic development.
The actual agreement approved by commissioners in September 2022 was an addendum to a 1981 agreement between Richland County and the village that had the county-owned sewer system handling the sites near the interstate and sending it through the village’s wastewater treatment facilities.
The area was not incorporated into the village until 1995.
The plan calls for the sewage system, built by Richland County in 1980, to be improved and then transferred to the village’s control.
Miller said Tuesday that system currently handles an average of 55,000 gallons per day and the improvements could allow it to handle six times as much.
“With the growth that’s coming in and the numbers that we’ve been given, we are trying to intentionally plan the upgrade of possibly to 300,000 gallons a day coming through,” Miller said.
“We’re going to put in infrastructure that can handle that. As this community grows, we want to have (infrastructure) set in there that can grow with it,” she said.
The project will replace more than 21,000 feet of linear pipe and perhaps replace and add needed lift stations to accommodate future development.
YMCA Sports Complex, housing development planned
The work is being done in the area of a proposed $22 million YMCA of North Central Ohio sports complex. Additional commercial and residential development appears to be in the offing in the area, though commissioners have offered no specifics.
A housing development with 400-plus units on 80 acres in the area has also been discussed by developers and the Village of Bellville.
Commissioner Tony Vero said the use of ARPA funds for the entire project is appropriate.
“If you recall when the (ARPA) regulations came out, water and sewer was a specific allowance for the use of those funds and that makes sense.
“Far be it from me to often say the federal government makes sense, but they wanted to direct funds to infrastructure projects.
“So again, what we’re doing with this investment today falls in line with the philosophy that our office has had with these funds. These are generational funds and we’re going to try to use them for generational projects,” Vero said.
“What we’re doing is upgrading the system and improving it in order to accommodate the development that is absolutely certain to happen in that Lexington-Bellville corridor for a couple reasons.
“One, obviously the growth of this county. We’re growing for the first time in decades and obviously (we need) to be proactive with respect to the Intel project in Columbus,” he said.
“We anticipate that corridor to be very desirable for people who want to hop on the highway (to go to work) and have a great cost of living and to live in a great county,” Vero said.
Project timeline in line with ARPA deadlines
Keller said the project timeline is in keeping with ARPA deadlines.
“It’s closer than we would like and we’ve discussed that with our engineer. But yes, it is within the deadline.
“We hope to conclude the final design in the spring of 2024 and put it out for bid. As long as we’re in contract and are able to finish that construction contract by December of 2026, we’re well within our statutory deadline,” Keller said.