BOARDMAN — The ABC Stormwater District has several projects coming together and has no plans to slow down in Boardman.

During recent data collecting in the township, additional points in the infrastructure were found in need of repair or replacement, township Administrator Jason Loree said, such as pipes that either collapsed or need to be replaced because of age.

The district includes Austintown, Boardman and Canfield townships and is funded by taxpayers in those areas.

These new findings, on Spring Park Drive, Homestead Drive and Glenridge Road, are culprits in flooding upstream from each location, he said.

“I’m sure we’re going to find more now that we’re cataloging all of our infrastructure and mapping it,” Loree said.

A “giant section of pipe” will need to be replaced in the Red Grouse Court and Loch Heath Lane area. It’s estimated to cost approximately $1 million.

During the district’s meeting this week, a resolution was approved for the engineering portion of the project to begin, not to exceed $11,000, with CT Consultants.

Twin 24-inch pipes underground in that vicinity are undersized and crushed in sections, resulting in the replacement of 14-foot, underground concrete culverts.

Trees have been cleared in anticipation of the project, Loree said.

The bidding process for the projects will be sought in May or June, Loree said. Letters will go to residents, along with a map, explaining the work that will be performed.

OTHER PROJECTS

The district is also waiting for grants to be released for disaster mitigation funds for house demolition in the water course of the Cranberry Run area.

Previously, Marilyn Kenner, Boardman Township road superintendent, explained that funding for eight homes in that area was sought, but only one home was confirmed.

Until the funding is secure, Kenner had said she did not want to release the locations of the structures.

Loree said significant funding cuts in the capital budget may impact money the district was waiting on prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the state capital budget, two major requests were made, including turning Market Street Elementary School into a flood plain for $1.5 million, as well as a flood plain restoration along Forest Lawn Cemetery for $5.5 million.

The school property would be a stormwater park, Loree said, with the school being demolished, allowing for a pond area.

Sections of the piped stream would be opened up so that when a major storm happens, the area will flood then go down to normal stream flow.

“That would help alleviate a lot of flooding throughout parts of Cranberry Run,” Loree said.

The construction would allow water to have a place to flow, when it currently backs up.

“By making improvements in Cranberry Run, you’re helping the whole watershed,” Loree said.

Forest Lawn would be expanded in the same manner as the school property, Loree noted.

BACKUP PLAN

In the event Forest Lawn isn’t accepted, the district has applied for Ohio 319 funding, as allowed by the NPS-IS plan.

An NPS-IS plan, or nine-element nonpoint source implementation strategic plan, is a document that summarizes causes and sources of impairment, establishes critical areas, identifies quantifiable objectives to address causes and sources of impairment, and describes projects designed to meet those objectives, according to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

“We’re going to be using that as a backup,” Loree said of the Ohio 319 funding.

Storm water retention systems throughout the township and owned by the township need to be completed.

Evaluations will be conducted to see if there are improvements that can be made, and if not, then maintenance plans will be completed, Loree said.

The district now is conducting neighborhood and stream assessments, Loree said, collecting data for a hydrology study.

The Army Corps of Engineers will begin assisting in the Cranberry Run area in July, he said, adding it will take about six months for the Corps to complete its portion of the research.

The relationship between the Army Corps and the water district, Loree said, may open the door to additional funding.