Lorain County commissioner defends west-county sewer plan and federal funding; village leaders press for earlier notice

Lorain County Commissioner Jeff Riddell told the Village of South Amherst council on March 23 that a planned west-county sewer expansion is intended as long-term infrastructure preparation and that an administrative "urban designation" would increase federal funding available to the county — but would not change local zoning authority.

Riddell summarized county finances after voters rejected a sales-tax renewal and said the county is operating on a 2020 budget plus inflation, requiring voluntary and targeted reductions across departments. "We have to adopt a balanced budget without depleting reserves," he said, adding that ARPA and other federal relief funds have ended.

On the proposed sewer, Riddell said engineers determined that geology along Russia Road — including a rock shelf — requires a pressurized force main rather than a gravity sewer. He stressed that "no individual residence will be required to connect to the force main" and explained that residential or commercial access would require a developer-constructed lift station to pump into the pressure main. "A force main, by its nature, is a pressurized system and does not allow for individual residential taps," he said.

Riddell also described the county's successful application to the All-Ohio Future Fund, noting a $67.4 million award to support wastewater infrastructure in western Lorain County. He said the county's "urban designation" allows it to receive some federal funding through the state and would raise annual funding from about $1.6 million to just under $4 million for housing, sewer and water improvements. "This designation has no relation to rural versus urban classification, nor does it relate to townships versus cities," he said.

Village officials and visitors repeatedly pressed the county on communication and local involvement. Councilmember Jeanne Maschari said village representatives learned about key project elements late and asked to be included earlier in planning. Riddell acknowledged communication lapses and outlined steps to improve outreach, including an email newsletter and a county Facebook page. "We have not been effective in our communication. Coming from the private sector into government, one challenge I faced is that we do not communicate publicly until approvals are finalized," he said.

New Russia Township Trustee Cynthia Breda, speaking as a resident, said township residents and leaders felt blindsided by megasite and data-center information. "We were not informed that JobsOhio was involved, and New Russia Township was not included in those discussions," Breda said, asking for earlier engagement and clearer public information.

On funding beyond the All-Ohio award, Riddell said the county expects to pursue EPA and other federal funding once sewer construction and land purchases advance. He described EPA priorities as favoring larger, consolidated treatment facilities and referenced large regional and national funding pools. He also answered questions about data centers, saying the county has not signed current NDAs and that many prospective projects are initiated by private landowners and proceed through existing annexation and zoning processes rather than through county approval.

Residents and council members raised environmental and farmland concerns. Visitor Chad Arcaba cited farmland-loss figures and questioned how a pressurized main that homeowners cannot tap would benefit South Amherst residents; Riddell reiterated that the force-main design preserves future options for community or developer connections through lift stations and that no property owner would be compelled to connect.

Riddell encouraged written technical questions for county engineers and recommended that village officials work with their state representatives when applying for state-level grants. He said the county will continue design and surveying work, including identifying treatment-plant sites and determining whether existing rights-of-way can be used or if easements must be purchased.

The county provided handouts (Exhibits A–C) summarizing the proposed megasite, the $67.4 million All-Ohio Future Fund award and the wastewater project; those materials reiterate that the funding is for infrastructure and not a zoning action. No formal county action or vote occurred at the South Amherst meeting; the discussion concluded with county commitments to better outreach and to respond to written engineering questions.

The council meeting record shows the conversation continuing through a public Q&A period; the county noted next steps will include further engineering and potential grant applications. The commissioners also invited local officials to follow up outside the council meeting for a longer work session.