WOODSFIELD — Monroe County officials met with the Ohio & Lee Water & Sewer company to discuss options for a proposed wastewater project that affects multiple communities in the county.

In Monroe County, there is no publicly owned water distribution or wastewater treatment system. Instead, four different private entities are contracted to provide water service and wastewater treatment. Ohio & Lee Water & Sewer company serves customers in Ohio and Lee townships.

The company’s wastewater system has been in need of major repairs for more than two decades; however, due to high repair costs and lack of funding, the project has been tabled. Local officials have agreed to assist the utility company with the project that affects three communities in the county — Hannibal, Sardis and Duffy.

The Monroe County Board of Commissioners met with representatives of the company and other county officials to discuss possible solutions and funding opportunities during Monday’s morning commission meeting.

Commissioner Mick Schumacher said the county plans to assist with grant funding opportunities to help move the project along.

“We would have to be the grantee on behalf of Ohio & Lee, so we’ve offered our assistance in the grant process,” he said. “Hopefully we can team up and get something accomplished.”

Schumacher said that while Ohio & Lee Water & Sewer does provide residents with water service, its wastewater treatment facility has not worked in more than 20 years. As a result, individual property owners have septic tanks to manage the sewage from their homes.

Chris Hunt, president of Hunt Engineering, a company assisting Ohio & Lee with the project, is working on a new plan for installation of the new wastewater systems. Schumacher said the plan includes installing individual receptacle units per household. He said it’s similar to the septic system used in Dexter City, Ohio.

Once the company can secure proper funding, it plans to install the new systems in phases beginning with the village of Sardis. Schumacher said because the village is in the low- to moderate-income category, it may be eligible for Community Development Block Grant program funding.

An estimated cost for the proposed project has not yet been determined. However, Schumacher said the system in Dexter City, which services around 70 units, cost approximately $3 million to install.

The Sardis system, on the other hand, would service around 400 units.

In other matters, Danny Stewart, a contract employee for the county, met with commissioners seeking permission to utilize some of the county’s property near Safe Auto to arrange a clay shooting area for local students in the Switzerland of Ohio Local School District. Stewart plans to start a class called Monroe Central Clay Shoot for the area’s youth but needs a “base” for the club.

Commissioners unanimously approved Stewart’s request to use the Woodsfield property.