County asks Vermilion to match $10K donation for Mapleview Ditch project

The city of Vermilion was approached by Lorain County officials on potentially matching a $10,000 donation given to the county by Brownhelm Township to aid in funding the Mapleview Ditch project. Don Romancak, director of Lorain County Community Management, addressed City Council during its Streets, Buildings and Grounds Committee meeting March 9 to inform members of the project’s status and needs before breaking ground in the next 30 days. Council approved to have legislation drafted and for the issue to undergo further review. Vermilion Mayor Jim Forthofer said he was approached by the commissioners on the possibility of a donation from the city at one of the hearings on the Mapleview Ditch. Brownhelm Township had made the donation for the installment of a 100foot pipe to alleviate flooding on Mapleview Drive. Romancak said with the price of the project breaking even, the additional money from Vermilion would help alleviate unforeseen costs of the project. “I can say with a fair amount of certainty if the city of Vermilion were to commit to match what Brownhelm is matching, that should give us more than enough resources so that even if we do end up with a change order in the field because of something unforeseen, that we should have more than enough resources to cover those costs,” he said.

Project planning

Romancak said the county received competitive bids from six contractors, with the lowest coming in at $83,500. “We are at a point now where we’ve received our bids,” he said. “They came in a little bit lower than the estimate, so that was good news.” Romancak added that the county is negotiating with Hartwick and Stone families and is planning to purchase the fiveacre parcel for the project for $50,000, which would be recaptured when sold again as a private property for redevelopment. With the $83,500 bid and estimate of $15,000 for project cost, Romancak said the county is right at breaking even for the project, which has a current budget of about $101,000. The additional $10,000 from Vermilion could be used for a variety of things once construction assessments are finalized. “We could use that money, knowing what the ongoing assessments would be for maintenance and spend that money down so that no one would get a maintenance assessment charge,” Romancak said. “We could return the money to the city, and the city always has the option of working with the county to pick up those assessments on behalf of the property owners.”

Vermilion involvement

Romancak said over 20 Vermilion residents will be affected by the project, which will take out parts of some property owners’ backyards and require some fences and sheds to be moved. The Mapleview Ditch project will restore the original flow line, which will run under West River Road and to Vermilion River. Ward 4 Councilwoman Barb Brady said she worried that the improved drainage on one side of town will lead to further flooding on the city’s side of West River Road. However, Forthofer said he would advise the city send over the $10,000, since Vermilion sends over its first responders to clean up debris on Mapleview Drive during heavy rain periods. “We do have a stake in this,” he said. The matching funds would come out of the city’s stormwater fund.