Demolition of former Fairport Harbor water treatment plant slated to begin soon

Feb. 25—The demolition of the former Fairport Harbor Village water treatment plant is expected to begin at some point in the next two weeks.

That announcement was made by the community's administrator, Amy Cossick, during the Feb. 20 Village Council meeting.

Cossick added that the cutting and capping of water lines at the former plant were completed on Feb. 13.

Village government leaders previously announced that the plant would be disconnected and demolished after the city of Painesville began supplying Fairport Harbor with bulk water.

Fairport Harbor started receiving bulk water from Painesville on Oct. 6, Cossick said in a Nov. 22 email.

Cossick previously said the abatement of asbestos and other hazardous materials at the plant was completed Nov. 17.

Fairport Harbor's water treatment plant, located at 5 High St., was built nearly 90 years ago. In recent years, village government officials noted that the plant had become a costly place to maintain and upgrade.

The village faced financial challenges in trying to comply with Ohio Environmental Protection Agency mandates for operating public water plants. Officials have said these Ohio EPA requirements seemed to be constantly changing and becoming more restrictive.

In addition, the former plant is situated along a section of Lake Erie shoreline that has often been touted as an attractive location for future economic development.

Last year, Fairport Harbor advertised for separate bids for demolition of the water plant and abatement of asbestos and removal of hazardous materials from the building. Contractors also were invited to submit a combined bid to perform both endeavors.

Council selected Moderalli Excavating Inc. of Poland, Ohio, to demolish the water plant at a cost of about $316,708.

The panel also chose ProQuality Demolition of Campbell, Ohio, to conduct asbestos abatement and hazardous material removal. ProQuality submitted a bid of $31,016 for this aspect of the project.

In September 2022, the village entered into a 20-year agreement to purchase drinkable bulk water that is treated and supplied by Painesville. Village Council and Painesville City Council each approved the contract, which can be extended in 20-year increments.

Fairport Harbor then launched four major projects in connection with the bulk-water distribution agreement. Along with the eventual demolition of the water plant, these endeavors involved:

—Making improvements to Fairport Harbor's primary connection to Painesville's water system — a valve vault on Richmond Street. These upgrades were completed in October.

—Creating a secondary connection to the Painesville water system.

Phase one of the secondary water line connection on Saint Clair Street between Fairport Harbor and the city of Painesville has been completed.

Plans for Phase 2 of the secondary waterline connection are currently being drafted by CT Consultants, the firm that provides Fairport Harbor with contractual engineering services.

—Construction of a new water tower.

A water tower with larger capacity, at 250,000 gallons, will be constructed on the property of the Village Service Department at 1340 East St.

While some land clearing and utility work has taken place at the site of the new tower, the village is waiting for an updated timeline on the next steps.

"We anticipate that further work will be underway in the spring of 2024," Cossick said.

The new tower will replace the current tower on Orchard Street.