The special meeting was called for two reasons. The first was for the mayor to get approval on two appointments he wanted to make. The second reason was to authorize the mayor to apply for a Community Development Block Grant for a street paving project. Except for Rosie Goss & John McMahon all members were present.
In the first matter the mayor appointed Dan Saracco to a part-time patrol officer retroactive to February 22, 2009. That was approved without opposition. Saracco is actually rejoining the force. He was once a member of the WPD years ago.
The second appointment was naming Jack Whitacre to the Buckeye Water District Board of Directors. That too was approved without opposition. Whitacre replaces Bob Morehead who resigned earlier this year. Whitacre is a life long Wellsville resident. He's an Army veteran, was at one time a part-time WPD officer and is retired from American Electric Power. Surace stated he felt Jack would make a good representative on the board. Jack will join ville residents Jack Call & Dave Lloyd on the BWD board.
The second reason for the special meeting was to authorize the mayor to apply for a CDBG grant for $400,000 to be used for milling & paving and curb work on several streets in the village. The application dead line was Friday, April 10. They tried but could not get an extension on the application dead line. In addition to applying for the grant council also authorized Fiscal Officer Dale Davis to shop around local lending institutions for the best rates on borrowing a required grant matching amount for another $400,000. The loan would be repaid over a period of 20 - 30 years from the permissive tax the village receives for license plate fees. Councilman Tony Cataldo stated the permissive tax is for road maintenance and it would cost the village an estimated $20,000 a year to repay the loan. Cataldo stated that since the village did not get any stimulus money we had to make our own. Surace quickly chimed in that if that should change the improvement's schedule would be moved up and added to.
The preliminary list for the street improvements and curb works is as follows:
10th St. - up to the township line just past the Cemetery entrance
Commerce - from 9th to 15th
12th - from Main to Commerce
12th - from Main to Riverside
11th - from Main to Commerce
14th - from Commerce to Bengal Dr.
19th - from Chester to Clark
1st - from Wells to Fulton
Clover - from 12 to 14th
Broadway - from 3rd to 9th on both sides
Main - From 17th to Commerce
It was stressed this list is strictly preliminary. It won't be finalized until the grant is rewarded and all costs are in. If everything works out as hoped for, the paving will begin in 2010. With no federal stimulus funds that's the best that can be accomplished. In the mean time we will have to be patient and live with cold patch, hot patch and touch up jobs here and there. Surace stated 10th St. is a priority because of the safety hazard at the top on the curve just before the cemetery entrance. That's the dangerous spot previously brought to council's attention by WPD Chief Scarabino.
Wellsville has around 27 square miles of streets and alleys. Village Administrator Jim Saracco was quoted as saying he is continuing to work with the County Engineer's office on this years chip and seal program.
Next council meeting is schedule for April 21 at 6:00 P.M.
ole nib
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Village Business
It was a busy week for village officials and those of us that like to follow and keep up with what is going on with our place we call home. Monday morning there was this weeks first Sewage Committee meeting followed Thursday morning with a second one. Also Thursday morning there was a Special Council meeting right after the Sewage Committee. The regular Council Meeting this past Tuesday was cancelled for what I think was a lack of a quorum. In addition to work schedules and medical leaves Councilman Joe Soldano is an assistant coach for the WHS Baseball team. They played an away game on Tuesday.
Monday morning's meeting was mainly to discuss the old reservoir and the findings of the ODNR inspection. The meeting was chaired by Councilman Randy Allmon with Tony Cataldo, Village Administrator Jim Saracco, GG& J Engineer Bill Boyle and Buckeye Water District Manager Al DeAngelis in attendence.
Mia Kannik, an engineer for ODNR, expressed concerns about the earthen structure of the dam and spillways if we were to have a 100 Year Storm Event. She estimates there would be a five foot breech of the dam in such an event. A 100 Year Storm Event is criteria required for dam safety. It is determined from getting an extremely heavy rain in a 24 hour period estimated to be the level of flood water expected to be equaled or exceeded every 100 years on average. For example the New Fowl River along the Alabama coast had three such events in recent times in an 11 month period. It came first from a heavy rain storm followed by rain from Hurricane Katrina and lastly from Hurricane Ivin.n It is also known as the 1% flood since it is a flood that has a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any single year. Ms. Kannik also expressed concerns that there wasn't an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) in place should such an event occur. An EAP is a written plan on what steps to take for such an event to warn people down stream and prepare them for possible castastrophe.
BWD Manager Al DeAngelis quickly refuted both points. First off there is not all that great amount of water in the old reservoir. It has needed dredging for years but you can't pump water and dredge at the same time. Then there are three valves up there that can be opened to slowly drain the whole reservoir to the point there is no water being held behind the dam should such an event occur. What water is held up there can be slowly drained into Little Yellow Creek down to the river. Now with the new pump station and water treatment plant it would be possible to dredge the bottom of the old reservoir without causing a problem with our water quality. Currently the integrity of the dam is in good shape with no apparent danger factor present in the opinion of the BWD.
DeAngelis also related that having an EAP plan was required by law. There are such plans on file for both the old and the new reservoir. The folks from ODNR did not check with the water district for the plans.
Engineer Bill Boyle advised that presently there is no grant money available to convert the old reservoir property into a recreational area due to ODNR budget cutbacks. However there are grant funds available for dredging and spillway rehabilitation from Ohio Public Works Issue 1. As a result BWD will keep control of the old reservoir as a back-up. They will basically mothball the place and pump water once a week from there to maintain it. This will give village officials time to apply for the grants to make renovations that would enable it to handle a 100 Year Storm.
At the same meeting an old mystery that has been bugging the County Engineer, BWD, United Water, GG&J and village officials for some time now was solved thanks to the heads up observation of Village Clerk Nancy Murray. BWD reports supplying 81 million gallons of water annually to the village while United Water reports treating only 69 million gallons per year. According to Bill Boyle the 12 million gallon difference would average out to a lost of $120,000 a year for the village. Our sewage bills are based on the amount of our water usage. The mystery that concerned everyone was why there was such a difference. It was determined there were no leaks anywhere to cause that amount of lost water and that the homes in Russell Hts. and the surrounding area up there were not included in those figures. DeAngelis advised there are even meters on sewage customers that are using wells to determine their sewage bill.
Mrs. Murray mentioned that one thing that has bothered her was the fact that Quality Liquid Feeds downtown only gets billed for an average of 5,000 gallons of sewage a month. DeAngelis said that couldn't be correct. QLF is using much more water than that. In checking with the water district office it was learned that QLF has three different water accounts and are supplied on monthly average of anywhere from 175,000 - 307,000 gallons of water. Two of those accounts go into the production of mostly molasses and does not have any discharge into the sewage system. You can't bill sewage for that. So, it was good news/bad news for some village officials. The good news being that the village was not actually losing that amount of money. The bad news was those officials had plans for that money!
While there Bill Boyle advised that plans for the Highland Avenue project are moving along. They found a large storm drain that is feeding into the sewage system that will be corrected. The stream water that seeps out onto Route 45 will be corralled into a drain system and be eliminate. That hazard will be eliminated. Also, he told us that for two way traffic a minimum of 22 feet is required. When the drains are redone up there they will be widening the street to meet that requirement. Right now the street is only 18 feet wide.
The second meeting of the week was also chaired by Allmon with committee members Cataldo & Don Brown along with Saracco, Fiscal Officer Dale Davis, United Water's Greg Stewart, the mayor, Rick Williams and Joe Soldano present. Brown said he is still doing out-patient rehabilitation as a result of his surgery but is able to get out and about a little now & then.
The purpose of the meeting was to go over correspondence received from GG&J Bill Boyle between him and the Ohio EPA concerning sewage over flows and back flows. The result being that flow monitors will be placed at 18th & 20th Streets in the sewer system at a cost not to exceed $3,900 a month to check the situation. Since this is under the $25,000 limit it doesn't have to approved by the full council according to Tony Cataldo. As soon as Greg Stewart gets re certified for confined space work the meters will be installed and remain in place for a period of two months.
Fiscal Officer Dale Davis reported they have been fighting with BWD for some time now over exorbitant water bills for the sewage treatment plant that were caused by a malfunctioning meter. At a cost of $1,400 the meter has been replaced and that problem should go away. One month they were billed for 93,000 gallons of water. Also, at a cost of $407, a back flow meter will be installed at the plant. Since there is no one locally certified to install back flow meters they will have to go outside the community to find one.
Also, Davis related that GG&J have said the Highland Ave. project bills can get paid by them or the village can pay the bills and get reimbursed by GG&J from the grant. It was decided that to be sure to have records of all bills the village will go for the reimbursement option. They want to make sure they don't fall into a situation like they had with the STAG fund records.
Allmon also advised that the contract with United Water has been finalized with Village Solicitor Andy Beech having a conference with their lawyers. The items they were concerned about were standard items that were just stated in a different way. Everything has been worked out to the satisfaction of all and the village is only waiting for UA to provide a copy of the contract.
ole nib
Monday morning's meeting was mainly to discuss the old reservoir and the findings of the ODNR inspection. The meeting was chaired by Councilman Randy Allmon with Tony Cataldo, Village Administrator Jim Saracco, GG& J Engineer Bill Boyle and Buckeye Water District Manager Al DeAngelis in attendence.
Mia Kannik, an engineer for ODNR, expressed concerns about the earthen structure of the dam and spillways if we were to have a 100 Year Storm Event. She estimates there would be a five foot breech of the dam in such an event. A 100 Year Storm Event is criteria required for dam safety. It is determined from getting an extremely heavy rain in a 24 hour period estimated to be the level of flood water expected to be equaled or exceeded every 100 years on average. For example the New Fowl River along the Alabama coast had three such events in recent times in an 11 month period. It came first from a heavy rain storm followed by rain from Hurricane Katrina and lastly from Hurricane Ivin.n It is also known as the 1% flood since it is a flood that has a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any single year. Ms. Kannik also expressed concerns that there wasn't an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) in place should such an event occur. An EAP is a written plan on what steps to take for such an event to warn people down stream and prepare them for possible castastrophe.
BWD Manager Al DeAngelis quickly refuted both points. First off there is not all that great amount of water in the old reservoir. It has needed dredging for years but you can't pump water and dredge at the same time. Then there are three valves up there that can be opened to slowly drain the whole reservoir to the point there is no water being held behind the dam should such an event occur. What water is held up there can be slowly drained into Little Yellow Creek down to the river. Now with the new pump station and water treatment plant it would be possible to dredge the bottom of the old reservoir without causing a problem with our water quality. Currently the integrity of the dam is in good shape with no apparent danger factor present in the opinion of the BWD.
DeAngelis also related that having an EAP plan was required by law. There are such plans on file for both the old and the new reservoir. The folks from ODNR did not check with the water district for the plans.
Engineer Bill Boyle advised that presently there is no grant money available to convert the old reservoir property into a recreational area due to ODNR budget cutbacks. However there are grant funds available for dredging and spillway rehabilitation from Ohio Public Works Issue 1. As a result BWD will keep control of the old reservoir as a back-up. They will basically mothball the place and pump water once a week from there to maintain it. This will give village officials time to apply for the grants to make renovations that would enable it to handle a 100 Year Storm.
At the same meeting an old mystery that has been bugging the County Engineer, BWD, United Water, GG&J and village officials for some time now was solved thanks to the heads up observation of Village Clerk Nancy Murray. BWD reports supplying 81 million gallons of water annually to the village while United Water reports treating only 69 million gallons per year. According to Bill Boyle the 12 million gallon difference would average out to a lost of $120,000 a year for the village. Our sewage bills are based on the amount of our water usage. The mystery that concerned everyone was why there was such a difference. It was determined there were no leaks anywhere to cause that amount of lost water and that the homes in Russell Hts. and the surrounding area up there were not included in those figures. DeAngelis advised there are even meters on sewage customers that are using wells to determine their sewage bill.
Mrs. Murray mentioned that one thing that has bothered her was the fact that Quality Liquid Feeds downtown only gets billed for an average of 5,000 gallons of sewage a month. DeAngelis said that couldn't be correct. QLF is using much more water than that. In checking with the water district office it was learned that QLF has three different water accounts and are supplied on monthly average of anywhere from 175,000 - 307,000 gallons of water. Two of those accounts go into the production of mostly molasses and does not have any discharge into the sewage system. You can't bill sewage for that. So, it was good news/bad news for some village officials. The good news being that the village was not actually losing that amount of money. The bad news was those officials had plans for that money!
While there Bill Boyle advised that plans for the Highland Avenue project are moving along. They found a large storm drain that is feeding into the sewage system that will be corrected. The stream water that seeps out onto Route 45 will be corralled into a drain system and be eliminate. That hazard will be eliminated. Also, he told us that for two way traffic a minimum of 22 feet is required. When the drains are redone up there they will be widening the street to meet that requirement. Right now the street is only 18 feet wide.
The second meeting of the week was also chaired by Allmon with committee members Cataldo & Don Brown along with Saracco, Fiscal Officer Dale Davis, United Water's Greg Stewart, the mayor, Rick Williams and Joe Soldano present. Brown said he is still doing out-patient rehabilitation as a result of his surgery but is able to get out and about a little now & then.
The purpose of the meeting was to go over correspondence received from GG&J Bill Boyle between him and the Ohio EPA concerning sewage over flows and back flows. The result being that flow monitors will be placed at 18th & 20th Streets in the sewer system at a cost not to exceed $3,900 a month to check the situation. Since this is under the $25,000 limit it doesn't have to approved by the full council according to Tony Cataldo. As soon as Greg Stewart gets re certified for confined space work the meters will be installed and remain in place for a period of two months.
Fiscal Officer Dale Davis reported they have been fighting with BWD for some time now over exorbitant water bills for the sewage treatment plant that were caused by a malfunctioning meter. At a cost of $1,400 the meter has been replaced and that problem should go away. One month they were billed for 93,000 gallons of water. Also, at a cost of $407, a back flow meter will be installed at the plant. Since there is no one locally certified to install back flow meters they will have to go outside the community to find one.
Also, Davis related that GG&J have said the Highland Ave. project bills can get paid by them or the village can pay the bills and get reimbursed by GG&J from the grant. It was decided that to be sure to have records of all bills the village will go for the reimbursement option. They want to make sure they don't fall into a situation like they had with the STAG fund records.
Allmon also advised that the contract with United Water has been finalized with Village Solicitor Andy Beech having a conference with their lawyers. The items they were concerned about were standard items that were just stated in a different way. Everything has been worked out to the satisfaction of all and the village is only waiting for UA to provide a copy of the contract.
ole nib
Friday, April 10, 2009
Wellsville Community Good Friday Breakfast
The Good Friday Breakfast sponsored by the Wellsville Ministerial Association is an annual event that has been going on for quite a few years now. Until this morning the last one I attended was well over 30 years ago. I remember being told back then it had being going on for years.
This year's breakfast was hosted by Rev. Bruce Ballantine and the members of the Covenant Presbyterian Church. I must say they were gracious hosts and even though that was my first visit to their church I felt right at home. Several of us were still waking up when we got there. I heard several comments about the early hour and had to wonder about the folks in the kitchen. With the spread they put on I know they had a short night. You don't get all that food prepared getting there a half hour early. Except for a few pastry items and fruit it was all home made. I don't know who made the biscuits but they were award winning. That sausage gravy was to die for.
The menu consisted of fresh fruit, orange juice, milk, coffee, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, biscuits and the sausage gravy. It was all delicious and if anyone went away hungry it was their own fault. I could have gone back two or three times for more of that biscuit and sausage gravy! It would put Bob Evans to shame.
Rev. Ballantine told me they were expecting 95 - 100 guests and I think he was pretty close. I didn't see very many empty seats. County officials were represented by Judges Carol Robb, Mark Frost, Dave Tobin and Ashley Pike. County Commissioners Penny Traina and Jim Hoppel were also there along with retired County Sheriff "Brassy" Beresford and County Treasurer Nick Barborak. Wellsville Mayor Joe Surace did the introductions. In addition to the folks already named Surace recognized several village officials.
Former Mayor Nunzio Lombardozzi put a plug in for the Old Gray Mayor's Basketball Game coming up May 1. Nunzi said tickets are going fast. So far they have players, cheerleaders and an ambulance company lined up.
Prayer of the Day was offered by Rev. Roosevelt Thompson of the First Baptist Church followed by scripture reading by Pastor Eddie Renfroe. Covenant Presbyterian Church Musical Director Erin Burke entertained us with a piano solo. Her selection was a beautifully played piece entitled How Beautiful arranged by Lloyd Larson.
Riverside Presbyterian Church's Rev. Bill Betteridge followed with more scripture reading. Did you know Rev. Bill is a WHS alumni from the Class of '55? Both ministers read scripture from the book of Luke Chapter 23.
Key note speaker was Pastor Bill Rudder of the ville's New Life Worship Center on Main St. His subject was "What's Good About Good Friday?" He gave a very inspirational talk on the meaning of the actions that took place on the first Good Friday over two thousand years ago and what it means to those of the Christian faiths. It was "awesome".
Following Pastor Rudder were two arousing numbers by the First Baptist Church's Men's Choir pictured above. These guys are good and that's not saying enough. It didn't take long for members of the audience to join in the singing and clapping of hands. They woke the place up with their inspirational renditions. They rock! The men were accompanied on the piano by Frances Youngblood. In the picture, from the left, are Rev. Thompson, Deacons Bruce Dorsey & Terry McCuen, Brother Greg Spann, Brother Scott Spann, and Deacons Roger Youngblood and Abdul Kalam.
Not to be outdone by Nunzio, Rev. Ballantine put a plug in for the Ministerial Association's Paint the Town Committee before closing. The proceeds from the breakfast goes to that program. They are planning to swing into action again this summer and are looking for volunteer painters, donations and recommendations of houses that can use a coat of paint. Although they can't get to every house they do as many as the amount of help and money available allows them to get to. Since the start of the program they have done an impressive numbere of 17 houses in the village. It's an extremely rewarding community project all accomplished with volunteer help and donations. If you have a day or so to help or a few bucks to spare get in touch with Rev. Ballantine or any member of the Ministerial Assoc.
Benediction was offered by Rev. Darlene Zanders and that closed out this year's edition of the traditional Good Friday Breakfast.
Happy Easter to all...
ole nib
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Just A Few Comments
Went up to talk to Dexter Thrasher last week to see what kind of response he was getting for the T-ball registration. Although he only had about 25 names when I was talking to him he tells me last year they had around 80 kids play. Dexter said it's not unusual for about half of them show up once the season starts in June. It's been that way for the last three years he has run the program. The T-ball league is open to both boys & girls from anywhere in the area. Although it is an organized activity they don't get too serious about scores. Their goal is to provide an activity for kids from ages 4 - 8. No one is turned away.
Dexter also told me that the Little League that Mandy Corbin is organizing is going to consist of teams from not only from Wellsville. Also included will be teams from the Edison Local area, Empire, Richmond and Toronto. They were trying to get a girls soft ball league going but haven't been able to get enough young ladies interested.
I think it's great that these people are giving of their time and for their efforts they are putting into this. It's all about the kids. Anyone wishing to donate, to help out or just have a question or two can call Thrasher or Corbin for more details.
Kudos to the mayor and EL's mayor for traveling to Columbus this week to put a plug in for their respective towns for some of the stimulus money. As they said in the MJ at least they are being proactive. From the gist of an article in yesterdays papers they didn't come home with a fist full of money but are optimistic that there is still a chance to get a piece of that pie. Lets hope so. I wonder how many mayors across the state didn't bother.
Speaking of being proactive did you see that the WPD rounded up 22 individuals that have been putting off paying fines. Now it's probably going to cost them more. Chief Joe Scarabino was quoted as saying if you owe something you can come in our your own to settle up without getting hit with additional fines.
I would like to mention next year's 5 Year All Class Reunion. The Alumni Association is starting to get ready and have been holding meetings to line things up. Chris McNicol and Doug Rose were named co-chairman for the big dinner. Ruth Gibson & Shirley Shanks have been named co-chairman for activities. The next reunion is scheduled for June 30 through July 3, 2010. Mark it on your calendars. The next meeting will be April 20 this year at 7:30 P.M. at the Alumni Center.
Have you noticed that you can no longer buy the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette daily editions in town anymore. From what I've been told you can't even get one in Beaver County, PA. We have been eliminated from their distribution routes as a money saving cause. You can go on-line but you have to go to Allegheny County if you want to get their ink on your paws. Another nail in the print media's coffin. Sad... People from two different outlets in town told me they are still going to get the Sunday edition.
It's a little on the chilly side but we're seeing a beautiful sunshiny day. Enjoy it. The forecasters say we have a chance of getting some snow accumulations next week. Sad...
ole nib
Dexter also told me that the Little League that Mandy Corbin is organizing is going to consist of teams from not only from Wellsville. Also included will be teams from the Edison Local area, Empire, Richmond and Toronto. They were trying to get a girls soft ball league going but haven't been able to get enough young ladies interested.
I think it's great that these people are giving of their time and for their efforts they are putting into this. It's all about the kids. Anyone wishing to donate, to help out or just have a question or two can call Thrasher or Corbin for more details.
Kudos to the mayor and EL's mayor for traveling to Columbus this week to put a plug in for their respective towns for some of the stimulus money. As they said in the MJ at least they are being proactive. From the gist of an article in yesterdays papers they didn't come home with a fist full of money but are optimistic that there is still a chance to get a piece of that pie. Lets hope so. I wonder how many mayors across the state didn't bother.
Speaking of being proactive did you see that the WPD rounded up 22 individuals that have been putting off paying fines. Now it's probably going to cost them more. Chief Joe Scarabino was quoted as saying if you owe something you can come in our your own to settle up without getting hit with additional fines.
I would like to mention next year's 5 Year All Class Reunion. The Alumni Association is starting to get ready and have been holding meetings to line things up. Chris McNicol and Doug Rose were named co-chairman for the big dinner. Ruth Gibson & Shirley Shanks have been named co-chairman for activities. The next reunion is scheduled for June 30 through July 3, 2010. Mark it on your calendars. The next meeting will be April 20 this year at 7:30 P.M. at the Alumni Center.
Have you noticed that you can no longer buy the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette daily editions in town anymore. From what I've been told you can't even get one in Beaver County, PA. We have been eliminated from their distribution routes as a money saving cause. You can go on-line but you have to go to Allegheny County if you want to get their ink on your paws. Another nail in the print media's coffin. Sad... People from two different outlets in town told me they are still going to get the Sunday edition.
It's a little on the chilly side but we're seeing a beautiful sunshiny day. Enjoy it. The forecasters say we have a chance of getting some snow accumulations next week. Sad...
ole nib
Buckeye Water District - Part 2
As promised here is the second part on BWD and their new facilities. Most of the articles for this series is going to consist of pictures so you all can see what I'm talking about. I have more pictures than facts. Being a simple layman I found myself many times feeling I was in over my head with all the details they were giving me. So bear with me. I'll try to keep it in layman's language.
I introduced the series showing you the outside of the pump station and the ville's version of the Lock Ness monster. Except for the back-up generator I'll show a few shots of what I saw inside.
One of the things that impressed me is the forethought put into the plans when they built the new facilities. When it came out that the district was applying for grants in preparation for Baard's ORCF plant I thought they would be building a new pump station somewhere around the Port facilities. Wrong. The pump station is nearly ready to supply Baard with all the water they need. Right now they are saying Baard is going to need 21,000,000 gallons of raw water daily and another 4,000,000 of treated water once they get started. That's a pretty staggering amount of water. I thought for that amount they would need another pump station.
District Manager Al DeAngelis told me that all they need to do to get ready to supply the ORCF plant is to run supply lines from the pump station and the treatment plant to the new plant's site. Other than that the BWD is ready for Baard.
The pump station is supplied by two 24" diameter lines that are 17 feet deep under the river. There are three pumps capable of pumping 3,100 gallons of water per minute. The water is fed into a 36" diameter line that goes nearly five miles to the new reservoir. That's nearly 4.5 million gallons of water per day they are capable of pumping. If that is not enough they are ready to set up a fourth pump.
Mark Allison explained to me that they only run the pumps at night due to the cost of electricity. Like our cell phone plans the electric company has off-peak hours. It costs $2.61 per kilowatt hour to run the pumps during off-peak hours versus $12.62/kwh during peak times. Even taking advantage of the less expensive rates the average monthly bill still averages $8,300. Before going on-line with the new station the bill was $14,000 for the testing phase. My average household bill would take me nearly 83 years to match what it costs them per month.
The green thing pictured above is the back-up generator for the pump station. It kicks in automatically if AEP fails to supply the juice. Then there is a section of 36" line that runs from the pump station up the hill to give you an idea of the size. Most households use a half inch line to supply their water. This particular piece of pipe has a hole in it that had to be cut out and replaced.
Then there is a picture of the intake lines and pumps that are nearly three stories down. The picture isn't the best. It was taken from ground level after I eyeballed all those steps to get down there. Remember the intake lines are 17' below the river surface.
The yellow thing is an over-head crane that enables them to get parts and equipment in and out of that hole.
The intake lines are periodically cleaned out with potassium that keep river snails and other aquatic creatures out of them.
Other than a few control panels and tanks for chemicals that is about it for the pump station. You can click on any of the pictures to enlarge for a better view. Next up is the treatment plant.
ole nib
I introduced the series showing you the outside of the pump station and the ville's version of the Lock Ness monster. Except for the back-up generator I'll show a few shots of what I saw inside.
One of the things that impressed me is the forethought put into the plans when they built the new facilities. When it came out that the district was applying for grants in preparation for Baard's ORCF plant I thought they would be building a new pump station somewhere around the Port facilities. Wrong. The pump station is nearly ready to supply Baard with all the water they need. Right now they are saying Baard is going to need 21,000,000 gallons of raw water daily and another 4,000,000 of treated water once they get started. That's a pretty staggering amount of water. I thought for that amount they would need another pump station.
District Manager Al DeAngelis told me that all they need to do to get ready to supply the ORCF plant is to run supply lines from the pump station and the treatment plant to the new plant's site. Other than that the BWD is ready for Baard.
The pump station is supplied by two 24" diameter lines that are 17 feet deep under the river. There are three pumps capable of pumping 3,100 gallons of water per minute. The water is fed into a 36" diameter line that goes nearly five miles to the new reservoir. That's nearly 4.5 million gallons of water per day they are capable of pumping. If that is not enough they are ready to set up a fourth pump.
Mark Allison explained to me that they only run the pumps at night due to the cost of electricity. Like our cell phone plans the electric company has off-peak hours. It costs $2.61 per kilowatt hour to run the pumps during off-peak hours versus $12.62/kwh during peak times. Even taking advantage of the less expensive rates the average monthly bill still averages $8,300. Before going on-line with the new station the bill was $14,000 for the testing phase. My average household bill would take me nearly 83 years to match what it costs them per month.
The green thing pictured above is the back-up generator for the pump station. It kicks in automatically if AEP fails to supply the juice. Then there is a section of 36" line that runs from the pump station up the hill to give you an idea of the size. Most households use a half inch line to supply their water. This particular piece of pipe has a hole in it that had to be cut out and replaced.
Then there is a picture of the intake lines and pumps that are nearly three stories down. The picture isn't the best. It was taken from ground level after I eyeballed all those steps to get down there. Remember the intake lines are 17' below the river surface.
The yellow thing is an over-head crane that enables them to get parts and equipment in and out of that hole.
The intake lines are periodically cleaned out with potassium that keep river snails and other aquatic creatures out of them.
Other than a few control panels and tanks for chemicals that is about it for the pump station. You can click on any of the pictures to enlarge for a better view. Next up is the treatment plant.
ole nib
Friday, April 3, 2009
Jim Kenney Youth Center, Inc.
Lots of questions, not many answers... Right now that is the status on the Jim Kenney Center and marina. In a Property Committee meeting yesterday with Committee Chairman John McMahon, Committee Member Joe Soldano, Councilman Tony Cataldo and Village Solicitor Andy Beech there were a ton of questions brought up and very few answers available. As Jo Ann Bobby said in her article in this morning's papers everyone involved has to get on the same page.
As mentioned last week the village is attempting to take sole possession of the Kenney Center and marina to be available to apply for Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources grants to rehabilitate the facilities. Andy Beech related that he seriously doubts that the village would be eligible for these grants with even a co-ownership. The village officials that were there yesterday told us that the Mayor in discussions with ODNR was advised that grants for substantial amounts are available for dredging the creek for the marina, fixing up the buildings, the basketball court and getting a play ground up there. Soldano confirmed yesterday that the Wellsville BOE is donating the play ground equipment behind the old McDonald School to the village. They would like to put that equipment at the Center. If ODNR grant money is available they might be able to get more to add to what is being given to the village. That would make a nice place for a play ground and that end of town has nothing for the kids. Sitting back in a corner away from any streets would make it ideal for safety reasons.
The lease for the center was signed by then Mayor Wayne Rose, Director of Safety & Service Glenn Mathess and Auditor James Haddock on March 12, 1976. Signing for the corporation was Emmett, Frank, & Perry Daniels and Jack Gallagher. It was for the princely sum of $1 for 99 years. Ten years later it was recorded by the County Recorder on June 5, 1986. If those that control the property don't co-operate the lease has 64 years still left to run.
From both the meeting last week and yesterday I'm getting the impression that there is no intent to run off those that control the property. The village officials that were there re-emphasised that they don't want to create any hard feelings or step on any toes. The idea behind this move is simply to get eligible for grant money to improve the facilities. Soldano mentioned that people are always saying that the village needs to make improvements and this is a good opportunity. It would be a shame to pass this up. With some co-operation I imagine a mutually accepted deal could be worked out with that corporation and the village. Just off the top of my head I'm thinking that the village doesn't want to control the facilities. No one said anything to that effect. That's just my impression. Other than changing the title back to the village I feel they are willing to continue with the organization operating the facilities. With the lack of funds available this would be a golden opportunity to upgrade and improve the place, especially for the youngsters and the boaters.
As a result of yesterdays meeting it was decided to set up a public, fact finding meeting in the near future and go from there. The meeting would be held at Village Hall and will be open to all. Pictured above is what the center looks like as of last week. It's obvious that there is lots that can be done. You can see how the basketball court is crumbling and the gutter on the main building is about ready to fall off. You can click on the picture to enlarge.
That building was built in the early 1900s as a pump station that supplied the town with raw, untreated water from the river. That was before the old reservoir was built in the 1920s. It's a stout well built structure that has stood the test of time. It would be great if it can be rehabilitated for continued use for years to come. It would make the ville just that more special.
ole nib
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
April Fool Thoughts
Well, it's April Fools once again. Normally I would have some fun with this day but last years attempt was not well received by the commenters. So, this year I didn't bother. The ER did dig out a piece done by the late reporter Bob Popp back in 1965. I remember it well because he had me hooked back then right up to the last sentence. For those of you with a sense of humor it's worth a read.
When speaking at the C-of-C luncheon in February Sheriff Stone pledged he would do anything in his power to bring his staffing up to snuff. True to his word he will approach the County Commissioners to get a commitment to cover the cost for the fourth year for a COPS grant he is considering applying for. COPS is an acronym for the DOJ Community Oriented Policing Servicing program. It was revived as part of the federal stimulus package. The grant covers the cost of additional officers for three years with the fourth year being picked up by whatever community gets the grant. For the S.O. it would be the county. It's a good program that I always thought was worth going after & the Sheriff is going after it being realistic by presenting it to the Commissioners. The village is applying for two officers for WPD. Let's see what they do over in Lisbon. We should find out tomorrow. They were suppose to meet today.
While mentioning the WPD, did you see the article in last Sunday's Lifestyles section of the MJ? It was all about a demonstration a salesman presented on stun guns. Stun guns are used to subdue aggressive individuals that are in the process of being arrested. It's a less lethal way that literally stuns the individual long enough to permit the arresting officer to restrain them. WPD is ordering 10 of them for the department. By ordering 10 of them WPD only has to pay $150 for each one saving $349 for each gun. That's a heckuva of a savings. The whole package totals $7,018 which will all be paid for from donations to the department. Out of that amount the company will train one officer to be an instructor for other members on the force. The guns zap an individual with 55,000 volts of electricity. Ed Wilson & Shawn Bloor must have strong, healthy hearts. Neither one of them had to be rushed to the hospital after volunteering to be part of the demonstration. I have to go along with the Chief. I wouldn't have volunteered for that either. If memory serves me correctly I think the donations for this came from the Eagles & Vets Clubs.
Speaking of the Eagles, club President Bob Marcin & member Bill Cataldo presented the village with another check for $14,000 this past Monday. The check will be split up to cover the cost of the new lights at the 18th Street playground and for renovating the area around the Boy With the Boot into a mini park. The mini park will be a nice compliment for the floodwall murals. It is certainly nice that the members of the Eagles share the wealth and make it possible to make improvements for our crash strapped village. They have donated over $21,000 this year to the village. Thanks a million folks. As Clark Race, a DJ years ago on KDKA, used to sign off saying "it's nice to know so many nice people".
I was saddened to learn of the passing of Jim Heaton last Friday. Jim was the owner of Heaton's Tires here in the ville and was one of the nicest fellows I had the priveledge of knowing and dealing with. Jim used to sell Harley Davidsons years ago before he got into the tire business. He was a generous benefactor to many efforts in town over the years too numerous to recall. He'll be sadly missed by the members of the "coffee club" that gather up there on 2nd Street every morning to catch up on the latest news and commentary about current events. My condolences go out to the Heaton, Thirtyacre, McClelland & Burlingame families. Even though he was born nearly 81 years ago in New Waterford Jim was truly a Wellsville Legend. Rest in peace Jim.
How many of you remember that the site of Heaton's Tires use to be Katz's Junkyard way back when? When ever my dad got a new car one of the first things he would do was go there to get a weight on his car. He use to calculate what type of gas milage he would get on that vehicle. He would then budget his money to make sure he had enough for gas to get to & from work. Dad was always sensible with things like that.
Another round of generosity was displayed recently with a list of folks & businesses as long as my arm that made it possible for the Wellsville VFD to make definite plans for a renewed display of fireworks to cap off the annual Homecoming. This use to always be a part of the fireman's carnival but when they started back up last year it just wasn't affordable. It cost $5 grand to put on that display. The Homecoming is scheduled to run May 27 - 30 with the fireworks to begin at 10 P.M. on the 3oth. I remember back in the days when we had a St. Rocco's Festival and the fireman's carnival there seemed to be a sort of competition between the two to see who could have the biggest & best fireworks display. I can't say who did but I've always remembered both were very impressive with some very colorful displays. I'm looking forward to this years.
Another fun event coming up is a joint fund raiser for the Alley Cat Aid Brigade and the Revitalization Committee on the calendar for May 1. It's going to be an old timer's basketball game renewing the rivalry between the Tigers & the Potters. Mayor Joe Surace will be coaching the Tigers & EL Mayor Jim Swogger will be doing the same for the Potters. You can't be younger than 50 to play and they are even planning on having "senior" cheerleaders according to the newspapers. Wellsville Legend Bevo Francis with conduct the tip-off to get the game started. The event is appropriately called "The Old Gray Mayor's Basketball Game". Tip-off is scheduled for 7 P.M. at the high school. I think they are anticipating numerous time outs for the players to get their breath. They have a lot of other events planned. We'll have more on this later on but you better make plans now to get your ticket. Tickets are $5 and they are only printing 1,000 of them according to the papers. Although it wasn't mentioned they will probably welcome any donations of BenGay, Tylenol and Ace bandages. :-) I don't think "political correctness" is going to be much in evidence for this event. I'm just hoping those "old" fools don't need crutches & wheel chairs!
Finally, they will be having the second registration at Hammonds Park this coming Saturday from 1 - 4 P.M for t-ball. So far they have about 25 future all stars signed up. Practice begins around May 1 and games around June 1st.
ole nib
When speaking at the C-of-C luncheon in February Sheriff Stone pledged he would do anything in his power to bring his staffing up to snuff. True to his word he will approach the County Commissioners to get a commitment to cover the cost for the fourth year for a COPS grant he is considering applying for. COPS is an acronym for the DOJ Community Oriented Policing Servicing program. It was revived as part of the federal stimulus package. The grant covers the cost of additional officers for three years with the fourth year being picked up by whatever community gets the grant. For the S.O. it would be the county. It's a good program that I always thought was worth going after & the Sheriff is going after it being realistic by presenting it to the Commissioners. The village is applying for two officers for WPD. Let's see what they do over in Lisbon. We should find out tomorrow. They were suppose to meet today.
While mentioning the WPD, did you see the article in last Sunday's Lifestyles section of the MJ? It was all about a demonstration a salesman presented on stun guns. Stun guns are used to subdue aggressive individuals that are in the process of being arrested. It's a less lethal way that literally stuns the individual long enough to permit the arresting officer to restrain them. WPD is ordering 10 of them for the department. By ordering 10 of them WPD only has to pay $150 for each one saving $349 for each gun. That's a heckuva of a savings. The whole package totals $7,018 which will all be paid for from donations to the department. Out of that amount the company will train one officer to be an instructor for other members on the force. The guns zap an individual with 55,000 volts of electricity. Ed Wilson & Shawn Bloor must have strong, healthy hearts. Neither one of them had to be rushed to the hospital after volunteering to be part of the demonstration. I have to go along with the Chief. I wouldn't have volunteered for that either. If memory serves me correctly I think the donations for this came from the Eagles & Vets Clubs.
Speaking of the Eagles, club President Bob Marcin & member Bill Cataldo presented the village with another check for $14,000 this past Monday. The check will be split up to cover the cost of the new lights at the 18th Street playground and for renovating the area around the Boy With the Boot into a mini park. The mini park will be a nice compliment for the floodwall murals. It is certainly nice that the members of the Eagles share the wealth and make it possible to make improvements for our crash strapped village. They have donated over $21,000 this year to the village. Thanks a million folks. As Clark Race, a DJ years ago on KDKA, used to sign off saying "it's nice to know so many nice people".
I was saddened to learn of the passing of Jim Heaton last Friday. Jim was the owner of Heaton's Tires here in the ville and was one of the nicest fellows I had the priveledge of knowing and dealing with. Jim used to sell Harley Davidsons years ago before he got into the tire business. He was a generous benefactor to many efforts in town over the years too numerous to recall. He'll be sadly missed by the members of the "coffee club" that gather up there on 2nd Street every morning to catch up on the latest news and commentary about current events. My condolences go out to the Heaton, Thirtyacre, McClelland & Burlingame families. Even though he was born nearly 81 years ago in New Waterford Jim was truly a Wellsville Legend. Rest in peace Jim.
How many of you remember that the site of Heaton's Tires use to be Katz's Junkyard way back when? When ever my dad got a new car one of the first things he would do was go there to get a weight on his car. He use to calculate what type of gas milage he would get on that vehicle. He would then budget his money to make sure he had enough for gas to get to & from work. Dad was always sensible with things like that.
Another round of generosity was displayed recently with a list of folks & businesses as long as my arm that made it possible for the Wellsville VFD to make definite plans for a renewed display of fireworks to cap off the annual Homecoming. This use to always be a part of the fireman's carnival but when they started back up last year it just wasn't affordable. It cost $5 grand to put on that display. The Homecoming is scheduled to run May 27 - 30 with the fireworks to begin at 10 P.M. on the 3oth. I remember back in the days when we had a St. Rocco's Festival and the fireman's carnival there seemed to be a sort of competition between the two to see who could have the biggest & best fireworks display. I can't say who did but I've always remembered both were very impressive with some very colorful displays. I'm looking forward to this years.
Another fun event coming up is a joint fund raiser for the Alley Cat Aid Brigade and the Revitalization Committee on the calendar for May 1. It's going to be an old timer's basketball game renewing the rivalry between the Tigers & the Potters. Mayor Joe Surace will be coaching the Tigers & EL Mayor Jim Swogger will be doing the same for the Potters. You can't be younger than 50 to play and they are even planning on having "senior" cheerleaders according to the newspapers. Wellsville Legend Bevo Francis with conduct the tip-off to get the game started. The event is appropriately called "The Old Gray Mayor's Basketball Game". Tip-off is scheduled for 7 P.M. at the high school. I think they are anticipating numerous time outs for the players to get their breath. They have a lot of other events planned. We'll have more on this later on but you better make plans now to get your ticket. Tickets are $5 and they are only printing 1,000 of them according to the papers. Although it wasn't mentioned they will probably welcome any donations of BenGay, Tylenol and Ace bandages. :-) I don't think "political correctness" is going to be much in evidence for this event. I'm just hoping those "old" fools don't need crutches & wheel chairs!
Finally, they will be having the second registration at Hammonds Park this coming Saturday from 1 - 4 P.M for t-ball. So far they have about 25 future all stars signed up. Practice begins around May 1 and games around June 1st.
ole nib
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