City seeks design for five waterline projects; staff to pursue loans and grants to fund construction

Monroe — Committee members heard March 11 that the city plans to pay for engineering design on five targeted waterline replacement projects in 2025 and then pursue construction funding through loans and grants.

Staff said the 2025 capital plan includes $350,000 for engineering and design work on five waterline projects across the city. The designs are intended to make the projects shovel-ready for potential Ohio Drinking Water (ODWA) loans and Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) grants or other financing. “We still may go down that road,” a public works staff member said, summarizing the finance pathway discussed in the council’s last water-rate study.

Staff described one example where the city previously upsized an 8-inch line to 12 inches to prepare for growth along Warren County/Stony Brook connections; that upsizing was done to enable future interconnection and to remove a dead-end condition on the distribution system. Committee members asked whether the design work would improve grant competitiveness; staff replied that completed designs and cost estimates improve the city’s odds for grant funding and provide a clearer multi-year capital outlook even if all projects are not immediately constructed.

Why it matters: staff said designs will allow the city to prioritize the worst breaks and prepare better borrow/grant packages. Project design also informs whether overlays or road work can be coordinated with waterline replacement to minimize repeated pavement disruption.

Decision and next steps: staff asked to move forward with design money in 2025; council members signaled support for proceeding to design and then returning with financing options (loan/grant scenarios) for council review. No formal appropriation for construction was approved at committee that night.

Ending: Staff said having shovel-ready plans will position the city for funding opportunities and better multi-year budgeting.