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A word of caution…

This past month many of you were asked to take an on-line independent sewer "survey." Some received an opinion letter from two residents which included correspondence from Ohio EPA. These plus recent articles in YCN quoted cost numbers that even scared me! So let`s consider some facts.

The "survey" stated the cost of a central sewer would cost $6.5m - $8m. The only time I have seen this cost range in writing was from a Sep 28 2015 email recapping a conversation between Mike Weant (Summit County) and a then Wastewater Advisory Committee member.

Well a lot has happened since 2015!
  • 2016: One year of Wastewater Committee work. Cost to the Village $0.
  • 2017: Nine months of Preliminary Engineering. Cost to the Village $10k.
  • 2018: Four months Design Engineering. Cost to date ~$60k.

The "survey" boasted monthly costs that FAR exceed the 2018 engineering data. The survey said "You can do the math." Well, in order to "do the math" correctly, you have to use current system cost numbers. You have to use current `EDUs` (instead of number of users) which accounts for extra usage from businesses, public institutions, and multi-family dwellings.

So here are CURRENT estimates prepared by our civil engineering firm and presented at the Apr 11 public session:
  • System cost: $5,350,000.
    (Even if we add 10% contingency, I still can`t get to $6.5m let alone $8m!)
  • Number of users: 146
  • Number of EDUs: 240
  • Monthly user cost per EDU: $120.38 (with no grant funding)
    (includes $43.03 O&M and replacement fund, and $77.35 for capital/construction debt)

The 2017 EPA letter… again, outdated, inaccurate information from an organization that prefers we turn our Village over to the County "because they do sewers all the time." Well the County actually hires independent engineering firms, like Stantec (which they already employ on other projects), to do the engineering. The EPA claimed a cost of $1,000,000 for Design Engineering. So where did the EPA get that cost number? Not from the Village. Not from our engineers. The EPA then added this $1m to Stantec`s estimated system cost. Stantec`s system cost estimate already included the design engineering costs. But, this is how the EPA inaccurately arrived at a residential user cost that will "likely be greater than $200 per month." But it did what was intended…to scare you.

The real cost for Design Engineering under our contract with Stantec Consulting:
  • NOT TO EXCEED of $421,000, which is included in the $5,350,000

I think surveys and opinion letters are great. But I caution everyone to make sure the info you are getting from those who are just now getting involved in this project are giving you current data. One "WAG" County estimate from 3 years ago, and one letter from the EPA fraught with inaccurate biased data is hardly enough to formulate an informed decision for the Village`s future.

Dee Holody