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Public Utilities seeks authorization to accept air and repair grants and to prequalify emergency contractors
Summary
The Department of Public Utilities asked council to accept multi-agency air-permitting grants (totaling funds referenced as $2,000,000 from the Ohio EPA plus up to $700,000 from EPA), an $880,000 grant for repairs to belt filter presses at the water-reclamation facility, and to authorize up to $300,000 for an emergency repair contracting capacity
Doug Stevens, director of Public Utilities, and staff presented three related items to council on Sept. 16 covering air-permitting grant funds, a repair grant for equipment at the water-reclamation facility, and authorization to contract for emergency water-distribution repairs.
Stevens said the city has for decades accepted what he called the “air grant” that funds air permitting and enforcement work for the city and Lucas County. In this presentation staff said the grant package includes $2,000,000 from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and an amount not to exceed $700,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a combined total described in the presentation; they asked council to authorize acceptance of those funds and to appropriate and expend them for ongoing operations. Stevens said most of the division’s staff and operational costs are covered by the grant and that the city is required to commit match funds (stated in the meeting as $156,700 per year).
Item 7 corrected a prior legislative reference and asked council to accept an $880,000 grant to repair belt filter presses at the water-reclamation facility. The department said earlier legislation referenced the wrong funding source and this item would authorize the correct grant acceptance.
Item 8 requested authority to take bids and enter into contracts for emergency repairs in the Division of Water Distribution, with a contracting authorization of $300,000 drawn from the division’s annual operating budget. The department said recent repairs have exceeded in-house capacity and this contracting authority would allow quicker emergency fixes without a longer procurement process.
Council took no formal votes during the agenda-review meeting; each item was presented and the department requested procedural action to advance the items for formal council consideration (SEP). Stevens said staff would provide any follow-up details as requested.
