CANFIELD — Stormwater improvements are on the horizon in the city.

Wade Calhoun, city manager, said Canfield recently received confirmation it will receive $871,800 to improve drainage around Sawmill Creek.

The funds are provided through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, awarded by the federal Emergency Management Agency and administered by the Ohio Emergency Management Agency.

This announcement “is fantastic, obviously. It opens up even more dollars” to continue with stormwater projects, Calhoun said.

Along with the grant money, stormwater fees also are helping to move things along. An increase in stormwater fees from $3 per month to $8 per month took effect for bills after Aug. 1, 2019, and has allowed for improvements, the city manager explained.

Many parts of Canfield, along with most surrounding areas, experienced severe flooding from storms in May 2019.

SAWMILL CREEK

The Sawmill Creek project will be done in two phases, with a price tag of $1.1 million. The city will be responsible for $145,300, which will be paid from the local stormwater fund.

Calhoun said he is hopeful the city receives Ohio Public Works Commission money to offset the required local share.

The multiphase project addresses flooding for the portion of Sawmill Creek running from Mill Creek MetroParks Bike Path near Canfield High School to Glenview Road.

Work to be performed includes upsizing stormwater pipes, removing and installing new catch basins and implementing detention areas along Sawmill Creek.

WATER AND ROADS

In addition to improving stormwater drainage, Calhoun said that waterline replacement designs are underway for Bradford and Neff drives, “which are sort of our problem children when it comes to (waterlines),” adding that the city has experienced a number of main breaks in those lines over the last few years.

Paving projects, meanwhile, are still happening –but have been scaled back, he said.

Usually obtaining grants through the OPWC, Calhoun said due to the COVID-19 pandemic, funding sources were in flux. The city decided to scale back the program and self-fund the street resurfacing program for 2020.

Canfield aims to complete five to seven streets each year with OPWC, but this year three road projects will be finished: Sandstone Lane, which is a rebuilding of the road for $267.236.25; Stoneybrook Lane for $37,236.25; and Northview Road for $28,225.

Miscellaneous repairs around the city also will be completed, including repairing sections of North Broad Street at the intersection of Neff Drive and other areas that have significant deterioration.

Crews will correct the roadway at the bottom of Dartmouth Drive, where ponding has occurred, Calhoun said.

The projects cost $365,807.50, with RT Vernal Paving and Excavating Inc., North Lima, completing the work.

NEW JEDD

Utility Contracting, Youngstown, plans to install 18-inch sewer interceptors to connect the city’s sewer lines with the Millenial Moments Joint Economic Development District, Calhoun said.

Cost for the project is $245,000.

“We’re very grateful that the city of Canfield has taken the initiative to extend the water and sewer lines” to meet the new development, said Frank Amedia, owner of FJA Developers, the project’s developer.

Next, Amedia said that he’s hopeful a final permit approval with the Army Corps of Engineers can be filed, so that crews can begin working ahead of the winter months.

The Millenial Moments JEDD includes high-end housing, retail spaces, a club house and other amenities, situated over 115 acres located off U.S. Route 224 and Palmyra Road.

Next, work on the waterlines will be done.

Bidding documents are in the process of being advertised and awarded in the near future, with both items being completed this fall, Calhoun said.

The anticipated development for the project is early next spring.