Williams County commissioners on July 8 heard a presentation from Maumee Valley on pursuing two Residential Public Infrastructure Grants (RPIG) from the Ohio Department of Development to fund a pump station replacement in the Village of West Unity and a new wastewater treatment plant in the Village of Eden.

The grants are capped at $750,000 each, with an approximate 1-to-1 local match requirement, Maumee Valley representative Lorenzo said. “These are the award can be up to 750,000 with 720,000 going toward construction and 30,000 going toward admin costs,” Lorenzo said.

Why it matters: the Eden plant has had repeated violations between 2019 and 2024, and the Eden project’s estimated cost is $2,774,116.40; the RPIG application would seek the program maximum of $750,000 toward that larger project. The West Unity pump station project is estimated at $765,600; with the required match the presentation listed a potential RPIG share of about $382,800 for that smaller project.

Lorenzo said the West Unity pump station is “over 50 years old in part condition and needs replaced to continue reliable service,” and noted census data indicating 55.1% of West Unity residents qualify as low- to moderate-income, which supports national-objective eligibility for CDBG-funded infrastructure. Lorenzo also said the Eden income survey was completed and that Eden qualifies for the program.

Commissioners did not vote on awards; they asked staff to prepare the necessary resolutions and paperwork so applications and local authorizations will be ready for the next board meeting. “We need the resolutions that we're ready to — we'll get those prepared and have all ready for Thursday,” a commissioner said at the close of the presentation.

Next steps: staff and Maumee Valley will prepare formal resolutions and application materials for the board to consider at the next scheduled meeting, and the county will document required local matching funds if projects advance.

Details drawn from the public hearing presentation included the program name and administering agency, project cost estimates, the 1:1 match requirement, and the presenter’s eligibility statements for each village.