Trending
MARTINS FERRY -- Martins Ferry City Council discussed plans for repairing the city's water treatment plant on Wednesday.
Mayor John Davies said the plant is starting to show its age.
"It was all new 30 years ago, so it's all wearing out at the same time," he said.
The plant was completed in 1997, according to the city's website, and was the most advanced of its kind in the region. Drawing its water supply from an underground aquifer that flows south from northern Ohio, the plant employs a traveling bridge filter and ozonation process to provide clean, safe drinking water to 15,000 customers a day as well as to other water district systems such as Bridgeport's.
The site states the system has over 4,000 connections including residential, commercial and industrial customers, providing more than 2 million gallons of water per day.
The plant was built with growth in mind and could produce 5 million gallons per day; with the addition of an additional filter bed and pumps, that amount could be doubled.
Davies said recent tests showed that the filter beds are working at 20 percent capacity. He also said the city has caught the issues early and the repairs can be done in stages.
"Our maintenance guy is on top of it," Davies said.
The mayor noted that it could cost $5 million to $6 million to replace the entire system.
Service Director Andy Sutak said water plant upgrades will save the city money in the long run because it will be more efficient. He also clarified that the upgrades will not increase residents' water rates.
In other news, Davies also said the city's cleanup days will be next week starting Monday. He said each area's cleanup day will be the same day as its regular trash pickup day.
Davies said that in previous years, people have dug through trash to collect any metal.
"What happens is they go in the alleys and they get all the metal out, which is great, but the problem is the trash is all over the place and we have to chase trash all around," Davies said.
He said the problem puts a burden on the sanitation workers.
Davies said that the city sanitation department will not pick up any flammable or hazardous materials. He said the department will leave the items on the curb if they are not safe for pickup.
Davies also said that the after-school program is doing well after being temporarily closed due to an unspecified incident last week. The program had 52 children attend on Tuesday.
Auditor Jack Regis gave a report on the city's expenses.
"We've been working hard to keep the police working," he said, noting that other departments are "hanging in there."
"If we keep working hard, I think we can make it. The only thing I'm worried about is next year," Regis said.
Police Chief Jerry Murphy said the police department recently helped escort the Eyes of Freedom Memorial to the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival earlier this week. He said that the department also plans to assist in the escort of the remains of Bridgeport native Charles George Reynolds this Saturday. Reynolds was a 1st lieutenant and a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, and he was declared missing in action in November 1943. His remains were recently discovered, and he will be laid to rest with his parents Saturday.
Councilman Bruce Shrodes plans to resign at the end of the month, and Wednesday was his last council meeting. He said he is leaving his post for personal reasons and has no hard feelings toward any of the people he works with.
President of Council Kristine Davis thanked Shrodes for the many years that he has served on city council.
"He's been here a long time and made a lot of tough decisions, and he's done what's best for the citizens," Davies agreed.
Davies also said that trick or treat for this year will be from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31. He said that he confirmed the date and time with both the police and fire departments.