City has plan for federal funds

Schlade noted council has previously agreed to use its ARPA funding to help defray the cost of the project.

Wastewater Superintendent Wes Wygant said council approval enables him to begin the bid process and then the construction phase. The total cost includes funding for equipment, labor and construction management.

“It actually came in about $100,000 under what the contractor thought it was going to be when we first started out down this path,” Wygant said. “So we were glad to hear that. We weren’t expecting it with the way things have been going.”

The construction project will only take from 30 to 45 days, but waiting for the equipment to come in will take much longer, he added.

“If everything goes well, by this time next year, it will be a completed project,” said Wygant.

Council also heard annual department reports from city engineer Brian Wieland and Tyson Engstrom of the city street department.

Wieland reported that on behalf of the city, the engineering department received $3.315 million in grants for 2022-2023. That was an unusually high amount that, with rising costs across the nation for materials and labor, enabled the city to complete a higher number of projects than usual, he said. The grants, though, are limited on their use.

“Grant funds are so critical, but unfortunately grant funds aren’t necessarily available for expansion. It’s typically for replacement ... to just put a new street in, we have to (pay that cost) ourselves,” Wieland said.

Major projects for the engineering department in 2022 included the city-wide asphalt paving and pavement marking programs, the Western Bryan Sanitary Sewer Replacement—Horton Heights project and the Noble Drive and Pleasantwood Avenue improvements.

The Clean Up Bryan (CUB) division, part of the engineering department, also investigated 254 cases last year, with 234 cases resolved so far. The numbers included 140 cases for tall grass and weeds, 163 for junk vehicles and 91 trash violations.

Council also authorized Wieland to pursue grants from the Ohio Public Works Commission, Community Development Block Grant program, Small Cities program and others as necessary, though he noted 2022 was a banner year that probably would not be matched in 2023.

Within the street department report, Engstrom said 46 hazardous trees were removed last year. He also mentioned that he’s down three employees because of the fact the trash collection was no longer being done by city streets employees. But because of this, his sewer crews were able to increase their efforts in other areas, including cleaning and televise inspecting 23,550 feet, or 4.45 miles, of sanitary sewer in 2022.

“The purpose of doing this is to find the bad spots that need to be fixed,” Engstrom said. “The more you clean the sewer, the better it operates. Keeping the debris out of the sewer, they run a lot better from when it rains and they back up.”

In other action Monday, council:

• Granted approval for the city to enter into participation with the second National Opioid Settlement with pharmacy chains CVS, Walgreens and Walmart and opioid manufacturers Teva and Allergan.

• Granted approval for continuation of agricultural districts within the corporate limits of Bryan, as required every five years

• Accepted a $33,375 matching grant from the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation, Safety Intervention Grant, for the purchase of extrication equipment for the fire department. The new equipment replaces some of the department’s current hydraulic tools. As a matching grant, the department will match the grant funds, according to Fire Chief Doug Pool.

• Accepted a $4,600 donation from Project 2020, an Initiative of the Bryan Area Foundation, for the Fountain City Amphitheater. Ben Dominique, director of parks and recreation, said the donation would be used “to help defer the cost for the Fountain City Amphitheater summer projects and programs for the 2023 summer season.”

Dominique also plans to apply for four local grants to fund the inclusive playground, mentioned previously. The playground would be located at the old Lincoln Elementary School site, totaling 2.16 acres.

Council Vice President Judy Yahraus asked if the current playground equipment would still be utilized with the inclusive playground, and Dominique stated that the old equipment would be removed.

Bryan City Council’s next regularly scheduled council meeting will be on Monday, March 6, at 5:30 p.m.