Columbiana County Port Authority board members honor 24 years of service by the Port Authority’s now retired legal counsel, Tim Brookes, giving him a commemorative clock during Monday’s board meeting. Pictured from left are Fiscal Officer Tad Herold, Vice Chairman Nick Amato, Executive Director Brittany Smith, Tim Brookes, Chairman Charlie Presley and Secretary David Bickerton. (Photo by Mary Ann Greier)

LISBON — Some Hanoverton residents will get help tapping into the new Hanoverton sanitary sewer system through a grant secured from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, with the Columbiana County Port Authority set to administer the tap-in project.

The CCPA Board approved a resolution Monday night authorizing the CCPA to act in an advisory and administrative capacity regarding the Hanoverton Sewer Tap-In Project, pending approval by the Columbiana County commissioners.

CCPA Executive Director Brittany Smith said the commissioners are expected to authorize the CCPA’s involvement. At some point, she said the project will then go out to bid, with one contractor to be selected to install the sewer service lines to the 16 residences identified for the project.

Smith said the project will be bid with the specifications prepared by the county engineer’s office on behalf of the county commissioners. The Economic Development Consortium, in conjunction with the engineer’s office, worked to secure the $190,100 from the OEPA to the commissioners for the tap-in project.

Once a contractor is identified, the work will begin, with an expected completion date of July 31.

Chief Deputy Sanitary Engineer Troy Graft explained that the OEPA provided grant funding for properties that qualified as low to moderate income for the home connection to the new sanitary sewer line. The Hanoverton sanitary sewer system was years in the making and is now complete, people are starting to connect and bills are being sent.

In years past, there was money sometimes available for residents for hookups though the United States Department of Agriculture or health department, but there was none available this time, he said. Residents even if they secured help to pay for the service line usually had to arrange for the work themselves.

“This will be a first,” Graft said, with the engineer’s office working on the specs for a project like this to hook up multiple homes.

The village had been under orders from the OEPA and now is in compliance with a new sanitary sewer system.

“We’re happy to have been able to help the village of Hanoverton,” Graft said.

In other business, the board accepted two Maritime Assistance Program grants through the Ohio Department of Transportation. An award of $819,000 will assist the Seaforth Mineral & Ore Company in East Liverpool to rehabilitate the dock wall. The current dock wall is 35 years old, with the last major repair occurring in 2005. The total project cost is estimated at $1,638,000, with the grant covering half and the company covering the other half.

Smith said Seaforth Mineral & Oil Company is expected to see an increase of 40% capacity and efficiency due to “modernized in infrastructure and reduced downtime.”

The second grant totals $132,816 for Pier 48 to purchase two diesel over hydraulic clamshell buckets, with the total project cost estimated at $265,632. The grant will cover the cost of one bucket while the company covers the cost of the second bucket.

Smith said Pier 48 currently only has one bucket, which was manufactured in 1976, and has had issues. With two new buckets, she said the efficiency of the terminal will be drastically increased.

According to Smith, ODOT received requests totaling $13 million for the MAP grants, higher than the $9 million available.

“We are very appreciative of the Ohio Department of Transportation and our state legislators for their continued support of Columbiana County and recognizing the need for support of Ohio River businesses. I would also like to thank my staff for their commitment and passion in helping get these projects funded,” Smith said in her report.

Smith announced that with assistance from Tetra Tech, the CCPA will be advertising dates for quarterly educational and informational sessions in the coming weeks regarding the expanded potable water sampling program to test water wells in areas not located in the priority zones around East Palestine and the site of the train derailment, which was three years ago.

In a matter related to the installation of sidewalks for the Dickey Drive cul-de-sac area in a joint project with the village of Lisbon, Smith said the decision was made to not move forward with an application for Transportation Alternatives Program funding. After receiving a cost estimate of $415,417, she said there was concern about the required 20 % match, but the project remains a priority and will be looked at again for the next round of funding in fall 2026.

Board members recognized the Port Authority’s former legal counsel, Tim Brookes, for his 24 years of service with the CCPA board, giving him a commemorative clock that said, “With sincere appreciation for your years of dedicated service and counsel.”

Brookes attended his last meeting with the board in November, saying it was time. He had already closed his law office and was working from home for the Port Authority.

“The service and what you brought to this board has been wonderful,” Presley said.

Brookes had been with the board since 2002. The board has no plans at this time to replace him.

In other matters, the board renewed the following leases: Community

Action Agency of Columbiana County, 4,423 square feet in the lower level of the port building on Lincole Place, $3,685 per month; CAA, 2,577 square feet in the lower level of port building on Lincoln Place (for food bank), $2,147 per month; Buckeye Trailers and Fab Co., LLC, 71,397 square feet at the Leetonia Industrial Building, Cherry Fork, Leetonia, $20,237 per month. The board also approved depository agreements with Farmers National Bank and renewed a CD with Consumers National Bank.

The next board meeting will be 5 p.m. March 23.

mgreier@mojonews.com