City leaders get update on downtown project

Plans for the long-awaited Kenton downtown reconstruction project are coming together.

“Things are about to get pretty real,” said Aaron Domini, principal planner with OHM Advisors of Columbus.

He provided an update to city leaders and business representatives on Thursday morning in Kenton.

As Domini has emphasized at other meetings, it is primarily a capital improvement project with the goal of improving the downtown infrastructure of sanitary and storm sewer lines and water lines.

The completion of that work will then allow the community to improve the aesthetics of the downtown, he said.

The final cost of the project is anticipated to be in the range of $15 million to $20 million.

The goal is to begin to reduce the infiltration and inflow of storm water into the sanitary system.

He said Kenton produces about 1 million gallons of water daily, but the wastewater treatment plant handles close to 3 million gallons every day.

“Doing nothing is not an option,” Domini said, as leaks and infiltration have resulted in 16 sewage overflows into the Scioto River in the last three years.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency wants the problems addressed and three representatives attended the meeting.

Another problem has been water line breaks resulting in the loss of pressure in the system.

There have been four violations since 2015, Domini said.

While he acknowledges there likely are problems throughout the city, the downtown was picked as the starting point because it has the highest density of users and some of the oldest infrastructure in Kenton.

“We’re thinking creatively about what’s the right path to get it done,” Domini said.

During the past several months, OHM has been meeting with state officials to discuss the Kenton project and low-interest loans to help cover the work. The project is divided into two phases.

Phase I involves building a solid foundation for the infrastructure.

Starting at the river and advancing toward downtown, the storm drainage will be improved, said Sean Gillilan, project engineer with OHM.

Also addressed will be sanitary lines starting at the trunk sewer line, and water lines connecting from a main line.

Gillilan said OHM will be working to size the lines to handle possible expansion in the city.

The cost for Phase I is estimated at $2.5 million and OHM, through the EPA, is lining up loans for the work, Domini said.

Gillilan said that project likely will be put out for bids in the first or second quarter of 2019, with work to start shortly thereafter.

Phase II will involve reconstruction of the downtown infrastructure, expected to begin in 2020 and last for several years.

Domini said the four main streets around the square – Detroit, Main, Franklin and Columbus – will be impacted during the project.

Contractors are expected to work on one street at a time to try and minimize traffic disruption in the city.

They already have some idea of what they are going to run into under those streets, thanks to the deployment of a robot with a camera into the sewer lines.

Roots and other obstructions were observed coming through pipes, many pipes had shifted and some had been squished, Domini said.

They were unable to advance the camera in some areas.

“It’s just an old system, It’s a hodgepodge of pipes,” he said.

Domini said, “We’re confident we can do the project, size it right and move forward. We know we will be fixing the I and I (inflow and infiltration).”

OHM will continue to meet with state agencies about loans for Phase II.

Kenton City Council President Joel Althauser again advised council representatives at the meeting that the council will be faced with many decisions on budget priorities as this project advances.

He also noted the streetscape part to conclude the project will be important as the city hopes to address truck traffic, lighting, bad curbs and poor signage.

“As a community we need to fix it or businesses will not want to come here,” Althauser said.

Domini agreed and believes the end result will be a “vibrant, viable” business district.

By TIM THOMAS
Times editor