Grants made a road project sweeter

Thanks to the combined efforts of Fairport Harbor Village, Lake County and the state, a major overhaul of part of a well-used roadway is likely to get underway in February, one village official reports.

Village Administrator Rebecca Corrigan in a Jan. 18 phone interview said the Third Street infrastructure project, which has been in the works since 2016, beginning with the grantseeking process, is set on an “aggressive” course for completion, with contractor bidding opening Jan. 26.

Corrigan said that once the winning bid is finalized work will likely start within a week or two and is targeted for June completion.

“It is a very aggressive project to get it done by before Mardi Gras because it’s going to be a hot mess up there while the work’s being done,” she said.

That’s a critical concern for the village, considering the customary parade that kicks off the village’s flagship festival proceeds along Third Street, where locals line up to watch.

In a recent News-Herald article about the village’s top accomplishments in 2017 and what 2018 has in store, Mayor Timothy Manross said the project will be funded largely by Community Development Block Grant money from the Ohio Public Works Commission, along with grant money obtained through the Lake County Utilities Department’s water and sewer divisions.

“We’ve been very successful with grants lately,” Manross said. “And we’re always trying to find ways to commingle these funds and make them last.”

The commingling in this case worked so well, there’s a chance the village’s financial contribution to the roughly $640,000 Third Street project might not even add up to 10 percent, Corrigan said Jan. 18.

“Our operating budget is only about $4-6 million a year, so for us to get $640,000 is a big deal to us,” she said. “It’s just a great demonstration of us using multiple resources.”

In all, the project seeks to replace some water lines, along with storm and sanitary sewer lines, fore hydrants and incorporate some road repairs, as well, she said.

The village commissioned CT Consultants to design the project at a cost of just under $40,000, Corrigan said, adding there’s a portion of Eagle street that will undergo similar infrastructure work subsequent to the completion of the Third Street project.

“We’re excited about it,” she said. “It’s a good project.

JONATHAN TRESSLER — THE NEWS-HERALD A major infrastructure project along Third Street in Fairport Harbor Village, including this portion between Vine and Plum streets, is likely to begin in February, the village reports.