YOUNGSTOWN — City council signed off on a $685,187 design and construction administration contract with MS Consultants Inc. for the second phase of a major interceptor sewer project.

Council voted 7-0 Thursday in favor of having the board of control finalize the contract with the Youngstown design firm for the West Avenue-Division Street project along the Mahoning River.

“We’ve talked about doing this project for over 10 years,” said Councilman Mike Ray, D-4th Ward.

The first phase of the project started Monday with S.E.T. Inc. of Lowellville working on West Avenue to Bridge Street, a paper street near Front Street. That project will take about a year to finish, said Charles Shasho, deputy director of public works.

The second phase will start in the fall and take less than a year to complete, Shasho said.

The project replaces an aging, deteriorated combined storm and sanitary sewer lines with 10,800 linear feet of 60-inch and 48-inch lines with an access road, Shasho said.

The new line will eliminate three sewer overflows that discharge about 35.5 million gallons of combined sewage annually into the Mahoning River during heavy rains.

“The good news is it eliminates three overflows out of the Mahoning River and that’s probably the largest amount of overflows we’ve reduced since I’ve been here,” Shasho said.

The city received a $4,839,300 grant in July 2023 from the state, using federal American Rescue Plan funds, as well as a $4 million loan from the state that forgives the repayment of the principal to pay for much of this project. The city would pay MS out of its wastewater fund, Shasho said.

The total work costs about $10 million, he said.

The city is in the design phase of a federally-mandated interceptor sewer project to keep wastewater from 13 lines from flowing into Mill Creek Park’s Lake Glacier and Lake Cohasset.

Council also voted Thursday to authorize the board of control to enter into a final construction agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation for a resurfacing project along a portion of U.S. Route 422 and state Route 616.

Most of the work is in Coitsville with smaller parts in Youngstown and Campbell, Shasho said.

The project goes from South Coitsville Center Road in Youngstown to State Line Road in Coitsville, by the Pennsylvania border.

The city is paying $43,080 for the project.

The project’s total cost is $2,776,920.

The work includes paving, installation of curbs, curb ramps, water work improvements, traffic signal upgrades and pavement markings.

Council agreed Thursday to permit the board of control to pay $127,288 to Tema Roofing Services of Liberty for the emergency replacement of a roof at the city wastewater treatment plant’s administration building.

The roof started leaking Oct. 4 into the foyer and the women’s restroom, Shasho said.

Tema was among three companies the city sought proposals for the work, Shasho said.

The roof work is almost done, he said.

Tema is providing a 30-year warranty for the roof, Shasho said.

The city administration pulled legislation that was on council’s agenda to have the board of control pay up to $200,000 to SOBE Thermal Energy Systems LLC to supply steam heat to city hall for this year.

City officials said it was an error to have the bill on council’s agenda as it is a normal utility expense and doesn’t need legislative approval.

The city paid $180,7992 for steam heat to SOBE in 2023 and 2024 and expects this year’s bill to be the same.