Pepper Pike council adopts Belgrade Road sewer necessity resolution, awards $413,228 water-main contract

Pepper Pike City Council on June 17 adopted a resolution declaring the Belgrade Road sanitary sewer improvement necessary and approved a separate contract to replace a water main.

Council moved to suspend the rules and then voted to adopt the necessity resolution for the Belgrade Road sanitary sewer project. Staff said plans and specifications are on file with the clerk and described the next steps: notice to affected property owners, appointment of an assessment-equalization board if owners object, and a limited appeal window under state law. In discussion staff said the initial engineering estimate for affected homeowners is on file and was described in the meeting as being in the low $20,000 range before grant assistance; staff also said the initial estimate may not increase by more than 10% without further council action.

Council and staff told residents the project will use a regional grant that staff said reduces the cost to residents by about half for this particular project. In addition, the city will offer reimbursements of up to $5,000 per homeowner for connection costs once a resident has tied into the new sewer line and provided evidence of incurred costs. Staff emphasized that detailed estimated assessments and the project schedule are available in the clerk’s office.

After adopting the resolution, council considered bids for a separate water-main replacement on Drilling Trail and motioned to award the contract to Fabrizi Trucking in the amount of $413,228. Staff said the winning bid was close to the engineer’s estimate and that Fabrizi has done prior work in the city. Council recorded its assent by roll call.

What happens next: affected property owners will receive formal notice and will have an opportunity to review plans and, if appropriate, object through the assessment-equalization process described by staff. Final assessed amounts and payment schedules will be set as the project moves from planning to construction.

Quote: "Don has prepared plans and specifications that are on file with the clerk of council," a staff member said, describing the notice and assessment process.

Votes and procedural notes: the council first voted to suspend standard notice rules to allow adoption at the meeting, then took a roll-call vote to adopt the resolution. The record in the meeting transcript shows affirmative roll-call responses from the members present. The Fabrizi Trucking contract award was approved after discussion of bids and engineer estimates.