County signs sewer contracts

STEUBENVILLE - Jefferson County commissioners on Thursday signed contracts for the $8.9 million Crestview-Belvedere sewer project, which will allow work to begin in April.

A $6,430,989 contract was signed with Rudzik Excavating of Struthers for the sewer line installation and a $2,551,000 contract with Utility Contracting Inc. of Youngstown for the pump stations.

The county has been under a state mandate for decades to install sewer lines because of faulty septic tanks.

The county had received $5.28 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture grants and $5.55 million in low-interest loans for the project that will serve about 330 homes.

Shannan Gosbin, county water and sewer department director, said the county will sign loans with the USDA in March and work should begin in April.

Commissioners also approved $53,186 in attorney fees for indigent persons facing criminal charges in common pleas court for February. The county auditor's office reported that is the largest amount the county has ever had to pay for a month.

The county spent a total of $195,000 in 2011 for attorney fees, the auditor's office reported.

The county receives a 35 percent reimbursement from the state for the attorney fees.

Commissioners also received a prosecutor's opinion concerning a water line installation at the new hangars at the county airport. The prosecutor's office stated the county water and sewer department will use crews during normal business hours to install the line. There was an issue of whether the county airport authority would have to pay for the labor costs. It still hasn't been determined if the county water and sewer department or the airport authority will pay for the materials.

County Commissioner Thomas Graham said the prosecutor's opinion is clear on who assumes the labor costs.

The commissioners also:

Signed a road maintenance agreement with Chesapeake Energy for Sugar Grove Road (county Road 68). The agreement states the company will upgrade 1.2 miles of the road north of the intersection of state Route 152 to the gas well site. County Engineer James Branagan said Chesapeake will upgrade and widen the road. Once work is completed, Branagan said the county will waive the road bond requirement.

Signed a road maintenance agreement with Utica Gas Services, a subsidiary of Chesapeake Energy, for the installation of gas transmission lines throughout the county. Branagan said the company will be drilling under county roads and hauling large amounts of pipes along roads. David Oaks of the engineering company for the gas lines said work will take about six months. He said the company wants to be released from agreement once the pipeline is operating.

County Commissioner Tom Gentile said the county and Chesapeake have completed a water line tap near the company's gas well site off state Route 152 outside Richmond. The county is selling water at a rate of $7.50 per 1,000 gallons of water. Chesapeake also is buying water from Steubenville for the fracking of the well. The water pressure on the county water line off state Route 152 would have been lowered if all the water for the well fracking was taken from the county water line.

Gentile said he wants to explore the county building a concrete pad and water tap along its main water transmission line off county Road 43 for water to be sold to the gas drilling industry. He said the trucks need a safe place to pull off the road to fill up.

Declared March as Developmental Disabilities Month in the county.

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County signs sewer contracts