YOUNGSTOWN — The city’s board of control approved increasing the cost of two already-expensive projects — one that diverts sewage from the Mahoning River and the other that upgrades sections of two downtown streets.

The board voted 3-0 Thursday to authorize change orders to the two projects. The board consists of Mayor Derrick McDowell, Finance Director Kyle Miasek and Law Director Adam Buente.

The board agreed to a $157,332.80 increase to a contract with S.E.T. Inc. of Lowellville, which is doing the first phase of an interceptor sewer project.

S.E.T.’s initial contract for the work was $4,753,539. With this final change order for the project that finished in January, the contract cost $5,439,138.58 — a 14.4% increase.

Charles Shasho, the city’s deputy director of public works, said the latest increase was because of problems near Norfolk Southern railroad tracks, which were an issue with this work.

Shasho said, “Railroads are very particular about activity in their right of ways. It was rough, but we got through it.”

The work for this finished phase and one about to be completed diverts sewage from the Mahoning River, with most of the cost covered by the state, Shasho said.

The city received a $4.83 million grant in July 2023 from the state, using federal American Rescue Plan funds, as well as a $4 million loan from the state that forgives the repayment of the principal to pay for much of this two-phase project.

The project replaced aging, deteriorated combined storm and sanitary sewer lines with 10,800 linear feet of 60-inch and 48-inch lines with an access road, Shasho said.

When both phases of the interceptor sewer project are finished, it will eliminate three sewer overflows that discharge about 35.5 million gallons of combined sewage annually into the Mahoning River.

S.E.T. started the first phase in early 2025. That work goes from West Avenue to Bridge Street, near Front Street. It eliminates one sewer overflow.

The board of control on June 5 awarded a $5,235,704 contract for the second phase of this work to Rudzik Excavating Inc. of Struthers.

Rudzik’s base bid was $4,529,354 with a $706,350 add-on to install concrete encasements around the pipes near Norfolk Southern train lines.

But the city received a waiver from the railroad for the encasements, Shasho said.

That phase will be finished shortly, Shasho said.

DOWNTOWN PROJECT

The board also approved a $35,421.90 increase Thursday for an improvement project to sections of Boardman and Walnut streets downtown.

This is the project’s seventh change order for a project awarded in April 2025 for $2,756,473 to Parella-Pannunzio Inc. of Youngstown.

With this increase, the project costs $2,967,464.63 — a 7.7% increase from the original proposal.