BELLVILLE — The Richland County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday gave a five-month extension to a Crestline contractor working on a $4.4 million sanitary sewer project near the I-71/Ohio 97 interchange.
Driven Excavating of Crestline, awarded the project in October 2024, was contractually required to have the work “substantially completed” by the end of April and fully completed 45 days later.
During a meeting with Patrick Schwan, senior engineering manager and principal engineer for Richland Engineering Ltd., the three-member board approved the time extension. Without that approval, the contractor could have faced financial penalties for not having the work done on time.
Richland Engineering designed the project, an effort in what should be an emerging large growth area in the county.
Schwan said there were a “variety” of reasons for the project taking longer than expected, including weather and delays in receiving materials. Commissioners approved the work using American Rescue Plan Act funds, which requires it to be complete by the end of 2026.
“I would say it’s probably mostly out of (the contractor’s) hands,” said Schwan, adding the project is about 75 percent complete. “Looking back is always 20/20, but they have worked efficiently and they’ve been able to have the materials and things that they need.
“There are subcontractors that are a part of their work process, as well, but (there is) nothing of significance that would have made a huge difference at the end of the day,” Schwan said.
“The (deadline) date we set was kind of an arbitrary date,” Schwan said.
He said he had met with the contractor and gone over its schedule for the remaining work, adding he was confident the new deadline of Sept. 18 would be met.
“I feel pretty comfortable saying that with the timeframe he has left, with the things that still need to be done. There’s nothing that needs to be ordered or approved. It’s just literally physical labor to get it all completed,” Schwan said.
“This is a big investment in the county. We want them to take care and we want them to do it right,” he said.
Commissioners said they were certain the work would be completed.
“The contractor knows it needs to be done. So if we come here in September and it’s not done, we’re probably going to have some different conversations,” Commissioner Tony Vero said.
Commissioner Darrell Banks said he wants the work done properly.
“This will give him a few months to get it done properly. We want it done by Sept. 18 because I don’t want to be sitting here worried about whether we’re going to lose ARPA (funds),” Banks said.
“There’s going to be no more extensions.”
It’s a project four years in the making. In 2022, county commissioners approved a “significant” sanitary sewer infrastructure proposal that will open the door to additional economic development in Bellville.
The actual agreement approved by commissioners was an addendum to a 1981 deal 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.
Amanda Miller, Richland County’s wastewater treatment director, has said the current system handles an average of 55,000 gallons per day. The improvements could allow it to handle six times as much.
Officials said the project will replace more than 21,000 feet of linear pipe and replace and add needed lift stations to accommodate future development.
