City engineer: Green Valley nearing completion; riverfront, wastewater work depend on permits and agency approvals

Ironton City Council received a quarterly engineering update March 13 from Kevin Wood, the city engineer with IBI, who said the Green Valley street and storm sewer projects are nearing completion while other water, sewer and riverfront projects remain contingent on permits and equipment delivery.

Wood told the council the contractor on the Green Valley project has a contractual substantial-completion date of May 29 and “they're attempting to meet that date.” He said pavement work and pump installation must finish before the storm collection system is turned on.

The update included specific timelines and funding notes: the Third Street water line has a July 1 substantial-completion date; South Fifth Street work is funded by an ODOT grant that requires curb-to-curb paving and ADA ramp upgrades; the city received a $250,000 ARC paving grant to rebuild a segment from Storms Creek to Lorraine; and the city has applied for grant/loan funds and is awaiting loan terms from OWDA and the EPA for water meter upgrades.

Wood said the storm sewers already installed will not drain until the new pump station is operational. “None of those are draining anything,” he said, explaining the system currently drains to a low point at Thomas Street and into a pump station that is not yet online. He said the contractor will camera and clean the system before startup.

Wood also described construction choices made to balance existing usage and grant restrictions: portions of Thomas and Cliff streets will be re-curved with a reduced-height curb so residents can still park off the street. He said the EPA grant that helped pay for the storm work allowed only replacement of the prior curb-to-curb width and would not fund widening beyond the existing pavement.

Council members and residents raised safety concerns about road widths and emergency access in Green Valley. Resident Jim Richway said neighbors feared fire or medical responders could be blocked by parked vehicles and narrow sections. "We have $6,000,000 worth of equipment sitting at the fire station, and it can't get to my house," Richway said.

Wood said the design team used auto-turn simulations and standard vehicle turning radii to ensure buses and trucks can navigate the jog at Thomas Street. He also said emergency vehicles can overrun curbs in rare instances and that the completed pavement will in several places be as wide or wider than the previous edge of pavement.

Separately during public comment a resident who identified their address as 311 Bathom Lane reported raw sewage backing into their basement after work in the Green Valley area. The resident said contractors dug in the yard, the street excavation settled and a line collapsed, leaving the basement uninhabitable. They reported a remediation estimate of about $30,000 and said their homeowner policy covers up to $15,000.

City officials and the solicitor advised the resident to pursue claims with their homeowner insurer and with the involved contractors’ insurers. The council’s solicitor and other city staff said the contractor and private-insurance claims, rather than direct city action, were the immediate avenue for resolving damages but that the city would follow up on contractor coordination and permitting records.

Wood also updated the council on other projects: bids for Pump Station 7 will go out in April; delivery for an emergency generator for the wastewater plant is expected in June; design for a generator at the water-treatment plant was expected to go to bid in June or July; an ARC-funded paving project will rebuild portions of the city’s South Fifth Street; and work is underway on design of a sanitary lift station and sewer extensions to prepare a former Rice property for housing development.

On the riverfront, Wood said tree clearing has begun under short biological and permitting windows tied to US Fish and Wildlife and other agencies. He said the city expects to have 30% design plans for the riverfront by early April, after which the US Army Corps permit and other approvals will be sought. Wood said those permits are required before moving dirt or other major construction and that the Army Corps permit is the next critical milestone.

Wood said the scope of planned Phase 1 wastewater improvements will depend on ongoing discussions with state and federal agencies and a consent-decree process; the items Wood and staff carved out for potential grant-funded work total a little under $2,000,000. He said the city is seeking principal-forgiveness grant support from EPA for eligible items.

Council members asked for follow-up items including a storm-sewer rate analysis and confirmation of grant/loan terms when available. The council set no formal vote on the engineering update; Wood said he would return with additional proposals and cost estimates as designs and permitting progress.

Ending: The council scheduled a narrower agenda for the next meetings that will include grants, permitting updates and a strategic-planning workshop on residential rental licensing; staff and the engineer said they would return with more-detailed cost proposals and permitting timelines as agencies respond.