Columbia Gas begins main replacement in downtown Fostoria; company says 129 customers affected, repair on Columbus Ave to finish Sept. 5

Columbia Gas briefed Fostoria City Council on a scheduled advanced main replacement program (AMRP) project that company staff said starts this week and will affect about 129 customers and about 7,771 feet of pipe in the downtown area. Megan Hanyer, the company's senior public affairs specialist for the Toledo and Lake Erie service area, said contractor Miller Pipeline will install the new plastic main and Columbia Gas supervision will be on-site. Megan Hanyer said the replacement will remove ageing steel and cast-iron mains and replace them with a plastic main designed to flex with ground movement and require less long-term maintenance. "The new pipe we're installing has several benefits. It has a longer lifespan. It has the ability to expand and contract. It can bend to the contour of the earth," Hanyer said. The company described the project sequence: preconstruction locating and video work, main installation (which does not disrupt gas service), and a separate crew to replace customer service lines — a process the company said takes two to four hours per home and involves a brief service interruption while meters are moved outside and appliances relit. Hanyer said restoration — including reseeding, concrete or asphalt repair — will follow and can take several weeks after initial cold patch restoration. A smaller repair on Columbus Avenue will replace about 850 feet of leaking medium-pressure pipe; Hanyer said that work should take about eight to nine business days and is projected to complete by Sept. 5. City and Columbia Gas staff said they coordinated to avoid newly paved sections where possible and that a virtual public meeting was held concurrently with the council presentation. Public response: resident Deb Tyson asked about overlap between Columbia Gas work and an ODOT Lytle Street repaving project and whether that would impede traffic during the upcoming Latino Fest. Tyson said if both projects overlap, "there's not gonna be a way for traffic to go otherwise. That's gonna really impede people from Tiffin." Hanyer said she would confirm timing and noted markings do not always reflect the exact working locations and that crews had been informed about the festival schedule. Logistics: Hanyer said the company mailed three-page notices and held a virtual meeting; she listed Catherine Rosa as a contact but noted Rosa was on vacation and Columbia Gas had arrangements to route calls and emails to other staff during that absence. The company reported early cooperation from business owners in the work area and an issue with locating some water facilities that required follow-up locate tickets. Next steps: Columbia Gas will continue field coordination with the city; staff will monitor traffic impacts during the Columbus Avenue repair and the longer AMRP effort. Residents with questions were advised to use the contact information in the company's mailing; Hanyer offered her contact information for council use.