The Lorain County Stormwater Management District had its first meeting of 2021, electing officers and setting the path forward on infrastructure projects.
New Lorain County commissioners David Moore and Michelle Hung were selected Jan. 19 as chair and treasurer/secretary respectively and Commissioner Matt Lundy was selected as vice chair.
With a new Lorain County administration in place, the district provided updates on ongoing projects and successes from 2020 with grant applications due March 31.
The Stormwater Management District awarded $15,000 in planning grants in 2020 along with four mini grants totaling $13,211.
According to documents, the four planning grants were awarded as follows:
• Eaton Township was awarded $3,200 to investigate flooding in the vicinity of 9543 Island Road.
• Henrietta Township received a $4,000 grant to evaluate a project on Baird Road.
• Wellington Township received $3,800 for the planning and engineering on the watercourse west of Hawley Road and north of Cemetery Road.
• LaGrange Township received $4,000 to investigate the scope of the project, locate wetlands, study and survey the Foster Ditch project.
Peter Zwick, of the Lorain County Engineers Office, said the planning grants are a great tool for communities enabling preliminary work to determine the scope of projects.
“Some of these stormwater projects, actually become quite complex, and also the petitioned projects by statute, by state law, require quite a lot of documentation in a formal study and hearings and so forth,” Zwick said. “So, we see the value of these planning grants to get these larger, more complex projects started.
“You know, like all good engineers, I need to do research and determine feasibility. They need to come up with at least supplementary cost estimates, which is my recommendation for funding amounts.”
The planning grant program is relatively new and outgoing Lorain County Community Development Director Don Romanchak said the county has $20,000 available for 2021.
For mini grants, the projects pursued were infrastructure needs that could be addressed quickly for a maximum of $5,000 each.
• Amherst Township was awarded $5,000 to repair a storm water catch basin and lateral connection in the Hidden Valley Development area.
• Columbia Township received $1,963 to replace two deteriorated 12-inch steel crossover pipes with reinforced concrete pipe and stabilize the road bed on Aldridge and Colfax avenues.
• Grafton Township received $5,000 to assist in buying material to correct on-going erosion along Chamberlin Road.
• Carlisle Township was awarded $1,248 to repair two storm sewer catch basins on Calann Drive and Squires Street.
The District Board also awarded six community grants to seven townships totaling $478,647:
• Hawke Road storm water improvement in Columbia Township, $5,596
• Engle Ditch Phase 3 Restoration in Amherst Township, $129,000
• Quarry Road Lateral No. 1 in Pittsfield Township, $134,250
• New London-Eastern Road culvert 0401 in Huntington Township, $60,000
• Kobelt Ditch Restoration Phase 4 in LaGrange Township, $91,000
• Gradall purchase joint project between Huntington, Pittsfield, Rochester and Wellington townships, $8,800
• Gore-Orphanage Road T-34 Hillside in Brownhelm Township, $49,500
The Storm District sets aside $400,000 annually for projects that are assessed on a points system.
Any unspent money carries over to the following year.
Zwick encourages Lorain County townships to study the points system criteria and properly document the problems.
The stormwater district typically receives between 16 and 20 applications per year.
“And obviously, the more severe the problem, the more severe the damages,” Zwick said. “It could be documented with photographs or testimonies or documents from their maintenance in the township maintenance records and other ways as well.
“That will underscore the urgency and need for the project.”
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