At last night's Nelsonville City Council meeting, council members passed an ordinance to appropriate funds for the Dorr Run Project. The project would improve Dorr Run Road's water and sewer conditions.
The ordinance, passed by a 5-2 vote, appropriated $35,094 from the Water Capital Improvements Fund and $107,532 from the Water Fund.
Nelsonville City Council President Clinton Stanley and Councilman John Reynolds voted against the measure.
I voted no because originally we were told the project was 100 percent grant funded. I don't feel it's fair
Reynolds said.
Payment for construction completed on Dorr Run was supposed to be paid Jan. 23. Councilman Bill Wend strongly recommend that council pass the ordinance because any further delay in payment could result in litigation.
Also at the meeting, Nelsonville auditor Aileen Lehman gave a check of $142,626 to Fields Excavating - the construction company that worked on the Dorr Run improvements. The funds will go toward paying off the Dorr Run project.
Nelsonville residents should not be affected financially by the ordinance coming from city funds. Reynolds said the ability of the city to pay the funds was not the point, but that they were told it would be
grant funded.
We have sufficient carryover money in the water fund said Reynolds.
The grant agreement was made between the state of Ohio, the Department of Development and the City of Nelsonville. The Department of Development agreed to grant Nelsonville $497,000 for the water and sanitary sewer program.
They agreed to give us the funds and then six
seven months down the road they told us they weren't able to do it
Wend said.
Stilson Consulting Group in Columbus was the designer for the Dorr Run Project.
We helped the city obtain all grant funds for the project
said president Bill Stilson.
No one from The Department of Development was present at the meeting.
In other city council business, the council made nominations to fill a vacancy on the city planning commission. Charlie Pancake, a former city council member, and J.R. Blackburn were nominated, but Pancake won the vote by 5-2.
17
Archives
LaToya Thompson
