City manager: $1 million EPA STAG grant confirmed for lift station; paving and sidewalk bids under estimate

The Columbiana City Council heard an operations and capital update on March 19 in which City Manager Lance reported a confirmed $1,000,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s STAG program for a planned lift-station project and said several construction bids came in below engineer estimates.

Lance said the EPA award will reduce the amount the city needs to borrow for the lift station: "we did get $1,000,000 in funding from the Environmental Protection Agency," he told the council, and added the confirmation allowed staff to adjust project cost assumptions in the budget packet.

He also reported that bidding for the Fairfield School Road and Lisbon Street paving projects and the Duquesne Street work from Fairfield Avenue to the high school came in under the engineer’s estimate, which he described as beneficial to the city’s budget that the council was scheduled to approve that evening.

Lance said the city has solicited construction-inspection proposals for ODOT-funded projects and plans emergency legislation on April 2 so work can proceed on schedule. He told the council the engineering proposal for Crestview Road waterline work and an upcoming preconstruction meeting are moving forward.

Operational details included street department repairs (four tons of material used, 17 work orders completed), water-line replacements, water-plant bench tests of treatment chemicals and wastewater UV bulb replacement. Lance also noted staff efforts on a Town Center DORA application and a related public hearing and legislative process the council will consider in coming meetings.

The council accepted Lance’s report; members said they were pleased bids came in under estimate and that staff should proceed with procurement and scheduling to keep projects on track.