Funding sought for Findlay street waterline

FINDLAY — Findlay City Council is being asked to approve about $1.2 million in a second round of capital spending for the year that includes equipment replacements, stormwater work and two waterline projects. The largest item in the round is $820,000 for the next phase of the Sixth Street waterline replacement. According to the city's capital plan, the existing line on Londonderry Drive has had several main breaks in the past year and needs replacement. The project will install a new six-inch main line from Brookside Drive to Blanchard Avenue and is expected to be completed by this fall. The ordinance also includes $100,000 for the 2026 Small Waterline Replacement Program, which funds in-house replacement of short sections of small waterlines. City crews replace the lines, as opposed to hiring a contractor, to keep the work more cost-effective. A total of $50,000 is being requested for the city's annual ditch maintenance program, which pays to clean city ditches at various locations each year. Two Street Department equipment replacements are included in the package. A $21,000 paint machine would replace a 10-year-old walk-behind sprayer used for striping parking stalls and parking lots. The capital plan says the new unit will "improve reliability, ensure consistent line quality and increase efficiency while reducing maintenance and downtime." A $60,000 roadside mower would replace a 13-year-old attachment used for right-of-way maintenance. The plan says the replacement will "improve cutting performance, reduce maintenance and downtime, and ensure safe and efficient operations." Proposed second-round spending also includes $25,000 for traffic signal equipment; $35,000 to rewire remote buildings for computer connectivity; $60,000 to resurface pavement at the airport garage; and $25,000 to replace the airport terminal roof. Findlay's proposed 2026 capital improvement plan totals about $20.1 million, with roughly 82% of the spending directed toward infrastructure. The Capital Improvement Fund remains the city's largest source of project money at $8.6 million, with $6.1 million in infrastructure projects, along with $1.1 million for equipment and $718,000 for facility improvements.