T-L Photo/LENNY WITTENBROOK Mayor Jake Hershberger, right, presents certificates of recognition to Barnesville High School wrestlers Hines Ford, from left, Colt Carpenter and Ayden King along with coach Jayson Stephen for their accomplishments this season. Stephen was awarded the Division III Coach of the Year by the OHSAA.

BARNESVILLE — Village Council is taking steps to fund the design of a long-anticipated wastewater treatment plant upgrade.

During a council meeting on March 24, Mayor Jake Hershberger introduced a resolution required to seek zero percent interest loan funding available through the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Pollution Control Loan Fund to begin the engineering and design process for the work.

Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association Director of Infrastructure and Community Development Erin Wright was on hand and explained that the WPCLF loan could subsequently be converted to construction funding once the village enters that phase of the project.

Councilman Tim McKelvey asked Wright if there would be a conflict caused by the village simultaneously funding the wastewater plant upgrades and the Barnesville North Water Extension Project that council voted to move forward with in February.

Wright said that since one project deals with water service and the other with wastewater it would not be considered “double dipping.” She added that she and Pam Ewing of the Rural Community Assistance Partnership, who is helping the village administrate the waterline project, and Hershberger are coordinating their efforts to make sure there are no such issues.

Wright also said she was aware of an upcoming congressional district spending request being pursued by Congressman Michael Rulli’s office and that she thought the wastewater plant project should be nominated for that funding once it is announced.

Hershberger said CTI Engineering had completed a design for the wastewater plant upgrade in 2018, which now needs to be updated to current codes at a cost of $126,000.

After that is completed, the village could seek to fund the project in full.

Hershberger said the total project is estimated at around $10 million. When Councilman Brad Hudson asked whether that was “everything,” Village Administrator Roger Deal said there would be another phase needed to complete the necessary upgrades in the future.

Council unanimously passed the resolution to apply for the WPCLF loan, with Hershberger pointing out that further action would be required to contract CTI to update their design.

Meanwhile, council approved Deal’s request to hire May Engineering of St. Clairsville to design the Ohio Public Works Commission-funded street paving and improvement project for $38,568.

This led to a discussion about the dollar amount the village administrator was permitted to spend without council’s approval, which Deal said is set at $25,000. Village Solicitor Richard Myser was then asked to prepare an amended ordinance to increase that amount to $50,000 with a provision that $75,000 could be spent without approval in an emergency situation.

Council approved another resolution to move forward with the Ohio Department of Transportation-funded Safe Routes to School project after Hershberger announced that the final cost estimate was $584,000.

Hershberger confirmed McKelvey’s assertion that the village would be paying for the various aspects of the project as they are completed and that ODOT would be reimbursing the village after those invoices are submitted.

Fire Chief Tim Hall gave run totals for February, saying that the EMS responded to 79 calls while performing six transports from WVU Barnesville Hospital, and that the fire department was dispatched on 15 occasions.

Hall also announced that the fire department had received an $8,500 50/50 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources that will be used to purchase a “slide in unit” for its UTV to aid in transporting patients out of wooded areas or on other rough terrain.

Police Chief Rocky Sirianni commended Barnesville Police Lt. Matt Tippie for recently being nominated to be assistant team leader of the Belmont County Special Operations Branch, with Sirianni noting that he and Sgt. Edward Kubat along with Tippie are part of the team of specially trained officers and sheriff’s deputies.

Resident Mark Lucas commended Sirianni and his officers for their execution of a large drug bust on March 18 in cooperation with the Belmont County Sheriff’s Department.

Resident Jon Thornton, who had previously presented a proposal to get the tennis and pickleball courts at Memorial Park redone with a new concrete surface, was told by Councilman Les Tickhill that they would have to continue to fill and repair the cracks in the courts as needed for now.

Council approved a request from the Barnesville State Theatre Company for logistical help so it can hold a Movie Magic Golf Cart Drive In fundraiser on July 26. Council agreed to close West Main Street from Chestnut Street to Broadway and to provide bleachers and electrical hook-ups for the event.

Barnesville-Bradfield Airport Board Member Greg Batts announced that the date for this year’s Airport Day has been changed to May 31, with activities from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., due to scheduling conflicts.

Council also approved paying bills in the amount of $108,846.87 and approved a building permit for Terry Conard to construct a new enclosed porch at 719 Wiley Avenue.

Barnesville council’s next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Monday in the Municipal Building on Arch Street.