BWD Engineering Committee

Wednesday - Apiril 7: The Engineering Committee of the Buckeye Water District held a meeting this past Wednesday at the Water Treatment Plant. Present at the meeting were Committee Members Gene McGaffick & Tim O'Hara, Board of Trustee President Mike Ryan and District Manager Al DeAngelis. Also present were engineers Dallis Dawson and Jon Blair of Dallis Dawson Assocs., owner of Tucson Inc. Jim Demath, Tucson's Kevin Ayers, Bob Crawford, Randy Young and Bruce Lopes. Joyce from RCAP listened to the meeting via telephone. The purpose of the meeting was a progress report on Part B of the Salineville Waterline Project and discussion on the proposed Frederick Heights project.

Tucson Inc. of New Philidelphia has to contract to install the second part of the new Salineville waterline. That part goes from just west of the Southern Local School Complex to the existing Salineville water system. Work began March 17 after a nearly six week delay caused by the heavy snow Mother Nature dumped on the area. The total length of the project is approximately 11,000 feet of new water line along with installing valves and hydrants.

Tucson reported that as of Wednesday 1,980 feet of the water line has been installed. Problems were encountered from the very beginning running into shale. The average length of pipe installed per day depends on what they run in to. The day before the meeting they were able to get 300 feet of pipe in the ground. Other days the average is less than that. Jim Demath said the job was bid planning a 250 foot per day average. When asked Demath replied they plan to have to project completed by or before the June 12 completion date barring any additional unforeseen problems.

Board President Ryan stated that it is the District's priority to get this project completed in order to shut down Salineville's aging water treatment plant. Since taking over Salineville's Water Plant the district is using three or four men a day to keep the operation going 24/7. The cost of man power and chemicals to treat the water is a drain on the District's resources. Keeping Salineville in water is duplicating what is being done through the new facilities for other district customers.

Discussion moved on to the need to subcontract part of the job out for an approximate 60 feet of directional boring under a brick roadway. Tucson is not permitted to open cut the roadway. This will require a change order and the company said they would have price quotes later in the day. Discussion was also held on the possibility of using better erosion control methods on some areas that included sloping terrain. One area of concern that Tucson reported has already been taken care of is the partial blocking of traffic with materials piled up. Tucson members said all roadways will be kept open especially to allow emergency vehicles to get through and all the school buses to keep on schedule.

The second part of the meeting moved on to the proposed extension of providing water service to the Frederick Heights area. In the past few months Dallis Dawson Assocs. have been conducting a door-to-door survey canvasing for new customers in that area. Dawson advised the survey was completed about a month ago.

Committee Member Tim OHara stated the Engineering Committee wants to propose getting started moving this proposed project forward. It appears they have between 85 to 90 potential definite customers willing to tap into the new water source. BWD Board Member Gene McGaffick estimates this number will jump to over 100 once the project gets started. In answering Mike Ryan's request for a "ball park figure" Dallis Dawson said, off the top of his head, he estimates engineering costs for this project would be $120,000 to $125,000. The District estimates that the proposed extension would be five & a half miles of pipeline with an estimated total cost of $1.5 million. It is expected the Engineering Committee will propose to advertise for engineering bids for this project at the next Board of Trustees Meeting.

The next Progress Meeting for the Salineville project is scheduled for Wednesday, April 21 at 10 A.M. at the Water Treatment Plant. The next scheduled regular meeting for the Board of Trustees is 9 A.M. Thursday, April 15, at Wellsville Village Hall.

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