CONNEAUT — City Manager Nick Sanford said at a Monday council meeting city leadership will meet with the Ohio Emergency Management Agency this week.
The city is pursuing reimbursement for damage to South Ridge Road East related to the 2024 Thanksgiving weekend snowstorm.
“Many on council have driven out there,” Sanford said. “I took the opportunity last week to drive it. It’s absolutely terrible.”
Public Works staff will try to address issues with aggregate on the street this week, he said.
“I cannot promise the world, but what I do want to do is have reimbursement so we can conclusively address it,” Sanford said.
The city documented damage to the road, he said.
“I have drone footage that I’ve sent over to the EMA and a complete bevy of documentation, based on the absolute failure of the roadway,” he said.
Albert Coccitto, a resident on South Ridge Road East, spoke at the meeting
“If you live down [the road] and you’re smiling as you go to go down the road, you’re not smiling as you finish,” he said. “You’re in a very bad mood, when you pull in your driveway.”
Coccitto asked what options the city is exploring for the road, and how soon they might hear back from the Ohio EMA.
“My concern is, what are you going to do for this wintertime?” he said. He expressed someone could be hurt while trying to dodge potholes.
Coccitto suggested the city use asphalt grindings as a temporary solution.
Third Ward Councilperson Oakey Emery said the city could use grindings from recent paving projects.
Council President Terry Moisio said the city will look into options surrounding the road.
An outfall pipe recently failed at the city’s dredge facility during a dewatering cycle, Sanford said.
“Last week, during our dewatering cycle, there was an embankment breach that we’re currently reviewing with the engineer of record — Verdantas, also with Kurtz Brothers,” he said.
Wastewater Superintendent Brian Bidwell has compiled a full incident report, Sanford said.
Once a construction plan is developed to repair the issue, there may be an ordinance for council at its Sept. 8 meeting, he said.
“I want to make very clear to council that we’re able to continue with the dewatering of the dredge facility for the 2025 cycle,” Sanford said. “It’s my understanding we were able to accept roughly 77,000 cubic yards of dredge material from out in Conneaut harbor.”
Sanford said until repairs are made, the dredge facility cannot accept material from subsequent dredge cycles.
“I’m not very pleased at this issue, because the facility is only into its second dredge cycle,” he said.
The city is looking into possible funding sources for the second phase of the Broad Street reconstruction project. Sanford said Small Cities funding takes five years to come after an application, with the funding for phase one being applied for in 2020.
“The original scope of the Broad Street project was [to] take place from State Street, all the way to Jackson Street,” he said.
Increased construction costs shortened the project, he said.
Sanford said he does not want phase two to take place in 2030.
The city’s 2025 paving projects are finished, with the work coming in roughly $35,000-$40,000 under budget, Sanford said.
Koski Construction conducted the city’s paving projects on Main, Broad, Day and Salem streets. After those projects wrapped up relatively quickly, city leadership added a portion of Buffalo Street.
Sanford said city leadership will review other suggested streets as part of the original contract, and see if any more work can be done.
Conneaut Law Director John Lewis talked about how his department has been handling the court consolidation
Last year, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed a bill that expanded the Conneaut Municipal Court’s jurisdiction to include neighboring communities.
Lewis said his office has handled the expansion fine, but he would be interested in having more staff in the future to deal with the caseload.
Sanford said the city could consider filling the position of assistant law director, which was previously filled by Lewis before he took over the office.
Sanford said the city received a $2,500 grant from the Ohio Department of Commerce to fund cemetery maintenance.
“We’re very happy about that,” he said. “That’ll go towards some extraordinary maintenance and repair items at City Cemetery.”
Council voted to create a fund for the grant money.
Council also created a fund for a grant from Norfolk Southern the city recently applied for, which would be used by the Conneaut Fire Department to buy wildland firefighting gear.
Sanford said the city has not been awarded the grant yet, but the creation of the fund will allow the city to be ready if they get it.
Representatives from Congressman David Joyce’s office met with city leadership at its dredge facility recently, Sanford said.
City leaders met with Lake to River Economic Development and Growth Partnership at Cortina Leathers last Friday to discuss how the company has been affected by tariffs, Sanford said.
Cortina Leathers had to lay off nine people in April because of recently-imposed tariffs.
City resident Elizabeth Akers spoke to council on her concerns about artificial intelligence data centers.
Akers said she was concerned possible data centers would lead to environmental utility issues, including air pollution, and water and electricity usage, which have occurred in other communities.
Emery said council will have a joint meeting with the Conneaut Area City School board at 5 p.m. Sept. 8, before council’s regular meeting.