CONNEAUT – A pair of projects that have been in the works for a couple of years will soon move forward in the City of Conneaut.
Curb to Curb infrastructure will be replaced on Buffalo Street and at the intersection of Park Avenue and Day Street. Though the projects are not connected, advertisements for bids for a bulk project have been issued.
“These were projects that have been inherited and have been in design for quite some time,” City Manager Nick Sanford said. “They’re also funded by the same mechanisms through Ohio Public Works Commission and through the Ohio EPA, through their revolving loan fund structures.”
The thought is that combining the projects into one bid, there might be some savings on the costs.
“OPWC is very anxious for us to land the plane because you have to remember, OPWC is a bond fund, and the more you have in escrow waiting for a project to get completed, that’s more risk,” Sanford said.
The Buffalo Street project will cover the area from Dean Avenue to Lake Road.
That project includes curb-to-curb infrastructure replacement including storm sewer, water line and sanitary sewer.
The intersection of Park Avenue and Day Street is slated for the same improvements.
Sanford noted that the infrastructure in that area is some of the oldest in the city.
The city will hold a public hearing on the Park and Day project.
“I am reviewing the proposal by Verdantas for construction administration, which would include holding a public meeting for the merchants in the Port District, because this will undoubtedly be a disruption during the construction phase for Park Avenue and Day Street,” Sanford said. “We want to be mindful of everybody in that area, even though it won’t be an end game improvement. If we’ve learned anything from Broad Street, it’s a process.”
Sanford and city council tackled other topics, including:
• An ordinance was passed creating an extra pay period for the city’s employees.
“(We’re) essentially creating a 27th payroll, 2026 is unusual in that it does have an additional payroll cycle, so it would require an additional appropriation for unclassified employees,” Sanford said. “I think the last time this happened was roughly 10 years ago, so just cyclical as the calendar goes.”
• A water main break at the intersection of Grove Street and Lake Road was addressed.
“It was determined to be a sheer break,” Sanford said.
Water customers will soon be billed a meter charge.
“We are going to be adjusting, as part of the rate adjustment for this year, a meter charge,” Sanford said. “Most water systems have this. It’s a method of revenue generation for the replacement of water meters, which have a life cycle of roughly 10 years-plus. Our water meters, on average, are about 15 years old. We have a pretty heavy stack of aged meters that do need replacement, and we need to generate the revenue to do so.”
Average water bills will have an increase of $8 to $10 per month.
• Membership for the Conneaut Rescue Squad for 2026 is being distributed.
“I know that the fire department got all the materials, so they are moving to push that outward,” Sanford said. “We’ve received a number of inquiries about the status of people’s membership. The 2025 membership is being carried over until such time as we can get the materials out for renewal, so no worries. There’s nothing lapsing.”
Questions should be directed to the Conneaut Fire Department.
• A new ambulance will join the fleet in 2026.
“A new ambulance that was ordered back in 2023 is scheduled for delivery in August of this year, which I do want to note that that is the hallmark of lead times for fire apparatus,” Sanford said. “That’s three years from the date of the order.”
Council President Terry Moisio said that was a significant amount of time.
“It is very significant,” Sanford said. “From what I understand, fire trucks are even worse in terms of lead time. Certainly cost, the cost of these pieces of apparatus have doubled since the last time the City of Conneaut has purchased a fire truck, which was in 2015. In fact, I believe, last year, we made our last payment on the debt service.”
• The City of Conneaut will issue a letter of support to the Ohio EPA in support of their efforts to secure a technical assistance grant with the United States EPA through the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) in the development of a comprehensive brownfield inventory for the City of Conneaut.
“This will be looking at all industrial properties if we’re awarded,” Sanford said. “It’s targeting communities with populations less than 15,000. It’s right up our alley. It’ll evaluate all track side properties that formerly housed industries and really provide leverage for future funding opportunities. If Astatic is a good test case, this would be a great model moving forward to make these properties development-ready in the future. We really hope this is successful for them.”
• Councilman Chris Castrilla took a moment to remind residents to keep fire hydrants in front of their homes clear of snow and to check on the older people living in their neighborhoods.
