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Port Clinton hears water and sewer project update; council adopts ordinance to seek study funding
Summary
Engineers told Port Clinton City Council the $28.5 million water and sanitary sewer project has completed design and cleared key funding hurdles; council voted 6-0 to adopt Ordinance 20-26 authorizing funding applications, an OEPA WPCLF loan for a No Feasible Alternatives study and purchase of a sewer cleaning truck.
Port Clinton — City engineers and project staff told City Council on June 9 that the Water and Sanitary Sewer Infrastructure Improvements Project has finished design and overcome lengthy agency coordination, and council unanimously adopted an ordinance authorizing the city to apply for funding to complete required studies and equipment purchases.
Bennett Norley of Kleinfelder Engineering and Doug Nusser, the city’s project coordinator, said the design phase is complete but the timeline lengthened while staff coordinated with multiple state and federal funding and regulatory agencies and with the railroad. Norley said that extended review produced important financing results: the city has secured about $16.25 million in grant funding and about $12.25 million in low-interest loans, including approximately $3 million in principal forgiveness, and that some loan rates are well below current market levels.
Council adopted Ordinance 20-26 by voice roll call 6–0 after a motion by Councilman Jerry Tarolli and a second from Councilwoman Beth Gillman. The ordinance authorizes the Director of Safety and Service to prepare and submit applications to programs including the OEPA WPCLF and to execute application documents and contracts for planning, design and construction phases. Council also voted to waive the three-reading requirement and to retain the emergency clause before adopting the ordinance (each action passed 6–0).
Auditor and staff clarified how federal grant funds will be received: grants are paid on a reimbursement basis after work is completed and invoiced, or may be direct-paid to vendors, and the city will submit monthly reimbursement requests with detailed invoices. Officials said a monthly EDU charge of $20 is held in an Infrastructure Improvement Fund restricted to water and sewer capital improvements and is not being used to pay existing debt from prior projects.
Project staff outlined the immediate next steps: final agency approvals are expected within 30–60 days, followed by a contractor bidding phase expected to take another 30–60 days. If approvals and bidding proceed on that schedule, construction could begin in February or March 2027, with an estimated construction period of about 18 months. Staff said they prioritized staging and scheduling to limit disruptions during peak summer and tourism periods and pledged to expand community outreach so residents have clear information about impacts and timing.
The council did not set a construction contract award at the meeting; staff said award and construction timing will depend on pending agency approvals and the bid process. The council will receive further updates as agency approvals and bidding progress.
