Wellsville Sewage Committee Meets on Forced Main Project

Thursday – May 5: The Wellsville Village Council Sewage Committee held a meeting last Thursday afternoon at Village Hall. Present at the meeting was Sewage Committee Chairman Randy Allmon and Committee members Tony Cataldo and John McMahon. Also attending was Councilwoman Susan Haugh, Village Legal Adviser Andy Beech, Fiscal Officer Dale Davis, Village Administrator Jim Saracco and GG&J Project Engineer Nate Wonsick.

Allmon opened the meeting stating it was in regards to property issues with the forced main project. Allmon then turned over the meeting to GG&J Engineer Wonsick. Wonsick stated the main order of business for the meeting was the easements needed for the properties along Riverside Avenue from 9th through 11th Street. He had spoken to Legal Adviser Andy Beech about the Village getting title searches done on those properties.

Wonsick stated that the least expensive way to replace the forced main is an open cut through the grassy area between the sidewalk and the railroad property. For the most part most trees would be missed. With using the open cut method it wouldn't necessarily follow the same route as the existing force main. That route is not exactly known in some parts. He added you can't assume an easement exists for these properties. A permanent utility easement would be needed. A permanent utility easement would insure the right to access that area in the future and to enter that area for any future maintenance.

Tony Cataldo said Village officials were told by former GG&J Engineer Bill Boyle that the sewage maps show that is a dedicated road and still is. Wonsick replied when looking at County tax maps he thought the same thing but their surveyors found the home owner's property lines in those areas show a z-tie. That means at some point in time the Village had either sold or given the home owners that property. Andy Beech added that he didn't believe it was a dedicated road. That area was just looked at recently for another issue. That whole area was never platted. Property between 9th & 11th was sold off in chunks. He never saw a dedicated road through there. It would be necessary to survey the whole area and have the boundaries marked out.

Since the meeting we talked to a couple of property owners along there. One owner told us their deed says they own 50 feet from the sidewalk toward the railroad property. The Wellsville Historical Society had the Riverside Museum property surveyed and the boundaries marked some years ago. That survey confirmed the Society owns the property on that side of the walk to the railroad line.

Cataldo asked if it would be cheaper to insert a new line inside the existing line. Wonsick answered there are two methods to do that. One is called pipe bursting and the other is slip lining. Pipe bursting would use the same diameter pipe as the existing main forcing it through breaking away the old pipe as you go. Slip lining would require a smaller diameter pipe than the exisiting 12” that is currently being used and slipping it through. Either way it would still require digging every 400 feet or so. The ideal thing to do is use at least the same diameter pipe. Pipe bursting costs $90 per foot versus $45 for open cut. Pipe bursting would add approximately $60,000 to the project. You could compensate for the smaller diameter of pipe by using a larger pump. Using either method would have a lot of unknowns about the route of the existing line. GG&J could prepare bids using both methods.

The only benefit using either method would be assuming the Village has an existing prescriptive easement meaning the forced main has been there for 50 plus years and it has always been used for sewage. Beech added if a prescriptive easement is in place the Village would have the right to get in there to maintain and restore the main. Wonsick indicated if it falls under the Ohio Revised Code guidelines prescriptive easement would eliminate the need of getting individual easements from each property owner. Cataldo asked that the law be researched in order that letters can be sent to individual property owners. Andy Beech added that title work would need to be done which would show if a prescriptive easement exists. Wonsick noted that GG&J is recommending that title searches be done for each property. Beech reflected that title work would be expensive but could be added as part of the project cost. He added the names of property owners would certainly have to be ascertained. Questions were brought up about the Wellsville Terminal property. Cataldo noted that a few years ago the Village sold Wellsville Terminals some property which included an easement in the deed. Wonsick stated there are several parcels owned by the company and not all may include an easement.

Wonsick said it has to be determined by the Village which way to go to complete the design phase of the project which is about 80% done. Plans to go alongside the railroad has been eliminated since some spots are too narrow. Cataldo recommended the prescriptive easement route was the way to go and Allmon agreed. Wonsick noted it would probably be best way to go adding it would eliminate the cost of title searches and getting easements which could be very time consuming.

Wonsick said that the project schedule is about two weeks behind at this point. Since it has been decided which way to go GG&J can proceed to get the permit to installed (PTI) ready for submission. He then reviewed the cost of the permit fees that would be added to the contract. The PTI alone is $4,400. The planned bore under the railroad would be $2,100, The control building would require an estimated $700 permit from the state. Boring for installation of the wet well would be an additional $2,000 to $4,000 along with the costs for lab testing services and title work. All are over and above the project cost and is needed to get approval for the project.

The forced main runs from 2nd Street all the way to the Sewage Treatment Plant. The pump and main are in the neighborhood of 50 years old and has been increasing troublesome with costly breaks over the last few years. The new line being designed will basically follow the same route as the existing line except at the Wellsville Terminal area. It will be rerouted in that area to avoid the coal piles.

The Committee went into a brief executive session for legal consultation with Beech. No comments or action was taken when they returned to adjourn the meeting.

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