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Russell approves sewers for buildings
(by Joan Demirjian - June 23, 2010)
Russell approves sewers for buildings
By JOAN DEMIRJIAN
Russell Township will proceed with planning for a sewer line along the south side of Kinsman Road (Route 87) to serve township buildings.
Township Trustees James Dickinson and James Mueller voted to move forward with the plans for the 2-inch line to serve township buildings. Trustee Kristina Port voted no.
There also have been discussions of a sewer line on the north side of Kinsman Road to serve the township and businesses along that route.
However, Mr. Dickinson said at the June 16 meeting that he wants to move ahead with a township sewer line. They have gone "round and round," talking to Geauga County officials and the landowners, he said. Discussions have been held on how to approach the issue of providing a sewer line.
One option offered was for business owners to move ahead with a project to which the township would have contributed funds. An 11-inch line would have served businesses on Kinsman Road and then north along Chillicothe Road (Route 306). When built, the county would take it over.
Now, Mr. Dickinson said, "I think the township needs to go ahead with a pump system and a 2-inch line."
Mr. Mueller said an extensive effort has been made to try to get citizens with interest in the line at Kinsman and Chillicothe roads to get together.
The more they learned, the less they liked what they heard, he said of previous meetings discussing a sewer line on the north side of Kinsman Road, which businesses would help pay for.
The matter has defaulted to trustees, Mr. Mueller said.
"The best way to do it is a forced line on township property," he said. Russell would own it and it would serve the township administration building and the old Russell fire station.
It would run under Chillicothe Road and it could connect to the Shell gas station. There is a manhole on the north side of Kinsman Road, past Town Hall, that it would connect to and then run to a sewage-treatment plant.
Mr. Dickinson said the cost of a 10-inch gravity line on the north side of Kinsman Road, past the businesses to the east of Chillicothe Road, would cost twice as much as a 2-inch line put in by the township.
"I lost faith in the ability of the county to fulfill its obligations," he said.
Originally, Mr. Dickenson said he favored the line on the north side of Kinsman, but now he has run out of patience.
It will cost approximately $54,000 for the township to put in its own line and another estimated $31,250 to run it under Chillicothe Road, Mr. Dickinson said.
Of the 11-inch gravity line on the north side of Kinsman Road, he said property owners did not want to spend during a poor economy.
It was like "trying to get frogs in a wheelbarrow," he said. Some were in and some hopped out, Mr. Dickinson said of getting property owners together.
"I would agree," Ms. Port said. There was no one spearheading it from the businesses and it fell apart, she said. They could look at what options there are for the businesses tying into a 2-inch line, she said.
Mr. Mueller said with the 11-inch line on the north side, the county would control its destiny.
The concern is that a line not under the control of the township could be extended to allow higher-density development in the area, which is contrary to zoning.
A 2-inch line on the south side could easily handle two or three other properties from the north side of Kinsman Road, he said. "It's easy and gives us total control."
However, Ms. Port said her concern is that the township does not need to be a public utility with its own 2-inch line. "We don't need to be in control," she said.
Trustees should work with the Geauga County Department of Water Resources, she said. "I can't see privatizing our own little utility."
However, Mr. Mueller made a motion to proceed with a plan for a 2-inch sewer line on the south side of Kinsman Road and a pump station owned by the township.
He proposed contacting Hess and Associates Engineering Inc., of Newbury, to start designing the line as a Russell Township public utility.
He said he is frustrated with the landowners and the county water resources department. The township has received memos from water resources regarding bacterial counts in the tank at the administration building.
Ms. Port said before moving forward, she would like to discuss it and to review the proposed plans with the water-resources staff.
She said she would want consideration for how businesses would access the township line. "I want that option," Ms. Port said.
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