The Vermilion City Council on a 6‑to‑1 vote adopted an emergency ordinance awarding a contract for the Edgewater Boulevard water‑line replacement and separately approved professional services for construction observation.

Council President John Gabriel said the city received multiple bids and that installing the water main must precede planned paving on Edgewater Boulevard. City Engineer Howard told council the low bid for the project was $5,744,899.50 and that the city had secured a $325,000 grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) to help pay for the work. "I would ask council to consider passing this ordinance by emergency so we can afford the project to the benefit of the residents," Howard said during the meeting.

The council suspended the usual rules to consider the project immediately. After discussion about construction sequencing and minimizing disruption to recently paved streets, councilmembers voted to adopt Ordinance 2025‑44, which authorizes the mayor to enter into a contract with the low bidder for the Edgewater Boulevard water‑line replacement and to obligate payment up to $5,744,899.50.

Separately, council adopted Ordinance 2025‑45 to authorize additional construction observation and contract administration services with Bramhall Engineering and Surveying Company, with professional fees identified in the ordinance in the amount of $1,638,800. Councilmembers asked whether the additional services would duplicate existing inspection work and were told the scale of the sanitary and water projects requires additional on‑site oversight.

Council members discussed timing because several streets were scheduled for paving within weeks. The city engineer and other speakers emphasized coordinating work so that newly paved roads are not damaged by heavy construction traffic. "This allows the project to flow in a smart way so that we don't destroy the roads that we laid down," one councilmember said during the discussion.

The council record shows one dissenting vote (Drew Worley) on the emergency motions; all other members present voted in favor. The engineer said contractors are tentatively scheduled to begin paving on some of the streets within one to two weeks and that the water‑line installation must be accepted before certain paving can proceed.

The ordinances adopted at the meeting set the city to move forward with contracting and with the additional engineering oversight necessary to complete the water‑line work.

The council also noted that the OPWC grant of $325,000 reduces the local share but did not change the contract award amount reported in the ordinance.