YOUNGSTOWN – City council agreed to support infrastructure projects, including a $14,944,000 water main and lead line replacement project on Youngstown’s southeast side.

Council voted 6-0 Wednesday in favor of permitting the board of control to seek proposals and enter into a contract for the replacement of the water main and lead lines to more than 720 homes in the Buckeye Plat neighborhood.

The project includes the replacement of more than 10,000-linear feet of water lines, said city Water Commissioner Harry L. Johnson III.

The project would be divided into two phases that would occur simultaneously with one taking about 16 months to compete and the other 18 months, Johnson said.

The project should begin in June or July, Johnson said.

The project’s estimated $14.9 million cost would be borrowed from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s revolving loan fund, which permits 50% of it to be forgiven, Johnson said.

Also, the project would move water lines connected to houses in the area — which is off Midlothian Boulevard and Sheridan Road — from the rear of the properties to the front, Johnson said. That will make it easier to gain access to the waterlines if they need repair work, he said.

The city’s goal is to replace all lead waterlines.

It finished a $2.45 million project on and near Mahoning Avenue in December that impacted about 300 homes using the EPA program and a $2.3 million project on and near Eddie and Roy streets and Hazelwood Avenue in 2023 using American Rescue Plan funding.

The Ohio EPA loan forgiveness program, which is funded through the federal government, is expected to be in place for the next two years, Johnson said.

The city is looking at using funding from it to possibly do work to locations on the North and East sides as well as the Uptown District, Johnson said.

SEWER PROJECT

City council voted 6-0 Wednesday to authorize the board of control to enter into a contract for about $475,000 with a “construction manager at risk” to work with a contractor to be hired for the first two of four phases of an interceptor sewer to stop wastewater from flowing into Mill Creek Park.

The city hired MS Consultants Inc. last year for $4.8 million to design the interceptor sewer. That work is complete – which designs about 90% of the work – with the firm hired as construction manager at risk to finish the design work with the contractor to be hired, said Charles Shasho, the city’s deputy director of public works.

The first two phases are estimated to cost about $50 million with the city looking to lower that amount, Shasho said.

The entire project, estimated to cost about $72.5 million to $87.2 million, will keep wastewater from 13 lines from flowing into Mill Creek’s Lake Glacier and Lake Cohasset.

The entire interceptor project is expected to be finished by October 2032.

The project is part of a dispute between the city and the federal government that requires significant improvement work to Youngstown’s wastewater system.

A resolution is being worked on to settle a lawsuit filed by the city seeking to change the scope of the project because of escalating costs and the belief that not all of the work is needed. A November court filing said the two sides “believe that they have reached an agreement in principle” with a federal judge giving them until Feb. 26 to file a status report on the negotiated settlement.

The key part of the dispute is over a 100-million-gallon-per-day wet weather facility – a physical building that would be located near the city’s wastewater plant to treat excess combined sewage during heavy rainstorms and then release the water.

The initial estimate for that work was $62 million, but the city contends it is now more than $240 million.

The federal EPA had originally ordered the city in 2002 to do $310 million worth of work, but it was negotiated down to $160 million in 2014 with the expectation it would be finished in 20 years.

In court filings, the city states the mandates would now cost about $380 million to $400 million.

The first phase to upgrade the city’s wastewater treatment plant was finished. Its initial estimate was $37.3 million and cost the city $70 million.

Council also voted 6-0 Wednesday in favor of legislation to advertise for contracts for storm sewers, catch basins and drainage improvements to Redondo Road from Fifth to Belmont avenues. The project would also include partial road repaving, new curbs and handicapped ramps, Shasho said.

The estimated cost for the project is $905,000.

The city will open proposals for the work at the end of the month with the job starting in March or April and taking about 120 days, Shasho said.

A professional service agreement proposal for repaving work to sections of Gibson, Liberty and Shehy streets was approved Wednesday.

It will cost about $106,000 for engineering design, construction administration and inspection services for that job with the state paying 54% and the city covering the remaining 46%, Shasho said.

Including the professional service agreement, the project’s total cost will be about $1.1 million with the state-city share remaining the same, Shasho said.