City gives infrastructure updates
Apr. 11—ASHLAND — Installation of the fourth and fifth mini-roundabouts at 17th and 18th Street will begin next week, according to Ashland City Manager Mike Graese's update on the Winchester Avenue project during Thursday's regular Ashland city commission meeting.
Beginning April 22, the 17th and 18th Street intersection roundabouts will be installed simultaneously ahead of landscaping work beginning early next month, according to Graese.
Using a "conservative" time frame and pending weather conditions, final paving of Winchester Avenue should begin by June.
In other infrastructure updates provided by Graese, the city's 42-inch raw water line, responsible for pumping a large amount of water from the Ohio River to the treatment plant, will receive a protective layer of epoxy and carbon fiber to prevent corrosion and protect the integrity of the pipe.
Here are some additional highlights of Thursday's meeting:
—Dawson Pool's project is also cruising right along with commissioners voting unanimously to finalize the purchase and installation of a new recirculation system ahead of new lining.
In new business, commissioners OK'd the first reading to enter in a contract for Dawson Pool's new filtration system, bringing the grand total contract amount for the pool's revamp to a little more than $540,000.
Commissioners plan to finalize the purchase, including installation costs, of the filtration system on Friday morning (today).
The funds for the pool are out of the city's recreation operating fund, according to fiscal notes, and Mayor Matt Perkins previously noted the city anticipates the pool to open on Memorial Day.
—Commissioner Cheryl Spriggs voiced her displeasure in paying FIVCO $173,000 out of a $44 million loan the agency helped secure.
During a vote for an ordinance to execute a commitment letter for the $44 million loan to go toward the enlargement of the sewer treatment plant, Spriggs scrutinized using a portion of the loan to pay FIVCO for administrating the loan, stating someone "in-house" could have completed the loan for Ashland saving that cost.
Spriggs said there are plenty of competent employees within the city, stating, "Why are we going outside of the building for this?"
Commissioner Amanda Clark said the loan application is a non-issue, as it's already been completed and the $44 million is already set to be awarded.
Graese clarified FIVCO had been involved in the loan process for this project since 2018 and assisted in writing the initial loan application, adding FIVCO was also responsible for several administrative tasks, including environmental reviews and documentation compliance throughout the loan process.
Part of FIVCO's assistance included a condition of the $170,000, according to Graese, which is part of the $44 million loan.
While Spriggs said she wasn't happy about that expense, she said she had to approve the condition in order for the $44 million to be secured, leading up to the unanimous approval by commissioners.
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