Bids come in to stop Martins Run floods

New wetland complex is upstream retention area

The city of Lorain will line up a construction company to build a retention pond project to improve water quality and reduce flooding of Martins Run creek.

On Sept. 10, city staff and a consultant opened five bids for the project, which is budgeted to cost up to $2.8 million to build.

The project is on 18.64 acres south of Cooper Foster Park Road and east of Baldwin Boulevard.

The parcel will become a 16.5acre designed wetland that will hold stormwater, thereby reducing the amount of rain flowing through Martins Run — or flooding out of it onto Ashland Avenue, Tower Boulevard and other streets in Lorain.

Staff from the city and project designer Coldwater Consulting LLC will review the bid documents and make a recommendation for the city Board of Control to hire the builder, said Kate Golden, storm water manager in the city’s Engineering Department.

An exact schedule was not set yet, but the goal is to get the needed approvals to begin construction as soon as possible, Golden said.

The work will continue through the winter with a goal of having the retention area at least partly done to hold water during spring rains next year, she said.

Mark Haynes Construction, of Norwalk, was the apparent low bidder with a bid of about $1.71 million for the work.

Additional bids cost up to about $2.32 million; other bidders were Mark Schaffer Excavating & Trucking. of Norwalk; Eclipse Co.. of Chagrin Falls; Facemyer Co.. of Sunbury; and Marks Construction. of Valley City.

The bid documents have some alternate plans, such as additional plantings and soil movement, so the staff will examine those and what else the project could include.

The city has received a state H2Ohio $1.4 million grant and has allocated a matching $1.4 million in storm sewer funding to fund construction.

The Board of Control is made up of Mayor Jack Bradley and Safety-Service Director Sanford Washington.

The project likely will not need additional City Council approval.

On Sept. 7, Council voted on legislation authorizing the administration to enter into the contract for the job.

The project prompted praise from Ward 8 Councilman Joshua Thornsberry and Councilman-at-Large Mitch Fallis.

Thornsberry thanked Golden and City Engineer Dale Vandersommen for their work.

“This is literally eight years in the works, and we’re finally going out to bid on this project,” he said. “So, I’m very excited about it, and I wanted to thank them and recognize them for their hard work.”

Fallis agreed the project should drastically help minimize the flooding along Martins Run, a problem that has plagued Lorain for more than 20 years.

Golden attended the Sept. 10 bid opening with Chip Wendt, water resources specialist for Coldwater Consulting; city Assistant Deputy Auditor John Strader; city Contract Administrator Joe Pritchard; and five people attending.

The city also has paid $703,493.12 to Eschtruth Investment Co. LLC for the land.

FILE