More improvements heading to West Park

FINDLAY — Findlay City Council is being asked to approve more than $1 million in funding for the second phase of a waterline replacement project on Morrical Boulevard that will improve water quality and pressure in the West Park neighborhood. The project will install a 12-inch waterline loop, running from the main line under Interstate 75 to the existing 12-inch main on Lima Avenue. Legislation has been introduced to council that would appropriate $591,000 from an Ohio Public Works Commission grant and $490,000 from the city's Water Fund to pay for the work and provide a contingency. Council has already appropriated $50,000 for preliminary work on the project, including surveying, design and advertising. A bid opening was held on Sept. 9, with six bidders. The contract will go to Helms and Sons Excavating Inc., Findlay, with the lowest bid of $952,147 A new waterline along Morrical Boulevard, running from Interstate 75 to Bliss Avenue, will doubled the size of the main waterline from 6 inches to 12 inches at a cost of about $600,000. A $300,000 grant from the OPWC helped pay for the water line, with the balance paid from the city's water fund. The larger main and waterline loop should improve water quality and flow for the West Park Subdivision. City Engineer Jeremy Kalb has said that the 12-inch loop will create a wheel-type pattern that will help keep the water moving through the subdivision. In case of fire or another emergency, Kalb said the 12-inch loop also will ensure there is adequate water flow and pressure to the fire hydrants. West Park's infrastructure, and the increased cost of development due to the bedrock, have been part of the debate over the possible development of city-owned property located across from the current subdivision. The 26-acre parcel is located between Carlin Street and I-75. The land is leased for farming and generates about $4,500 in revenue for the city each year. Future leases will include an opt-out provision should the development of the site proceed. "Our West Park," a citizens' group organized in 2023 to stop the development of the land, says the subdivision cannot accommodate more housing. The group has argued their neighborhood lacks storm sewers, sidewalks and curbs, has limited street access and low water pressure.