Lodi to receive $1 million federal grant for water infrastructure

LODI — A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers grant totaling $1,075,000 has been secured by the village of Lodi for costs associated with imminent large-scale water infrastructure improvements. A 90-year old water tower on Bank Street has been rated poorly in recent surveys, with extensive riser corrosion, according to officials. Plans call for replacement of the tower through construction of a new 200,000-gallon storage tank on Evergreen Street and to replace water main, valves, hydrants, and other service infrastructure on Janice, Redfield and Baker streets. That work will stretch from the new tank to state Route 83, with preliminary estimates placing combined design and construction costs at $2.64 million. Lodi Mayor Rob Geissman said work should start next year and finish by fall 2023. "The water tower we currently have is ancient," he said Thursday. "It needs either major repairs or replacement. The other big part of this is that we have a lot of undersized old water mains that cause problems in town. We have water line breaks and with larger lines it's going to alleviate those fixes and increase our flow. This will increase that for our residents." In addition to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers grant, roughly $700,000 in additional project funds will come through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grant program. Any remainder would be taken on by the village, Geissman said. "We haven't had problems with boil alerts or anything like that, at least not in my neighborhood," he said. "I know we've had a lot of the breaks on a lot of these older lines. We're usually able to repair them while they're still under pressure. We're very thankful for the money coming in and want to get moving on this project to help put some of these problems in the past." The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, and Lodi entered into the grant agreement last month. "We're pleased to support the Village of Lodi in making infrastructure upgrades that will deliver more reliable and better-quality water service to its residents," said Lt. Col. Eli Adams, commander of the Buffalo District. Grant funding for Lodi comes through congressional passage of the Water Resources Development Act's Section 594 in 1999 aimed at mitigating environmental infrastructure problems throughout the state of Ohio. "I'm pleased to see this project for Lodi move forward," said U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs of Ohio's District 7. "Improving public water utilities and enhancing water quality in a way that does not disproportionately affect residents is important in making our communities safe, healthy and prosperous places to raise our families. I look forward to the completion of this project." Officials say a new water tank and water lines will result in improved quality and fewer service disruptions. Geissman said the old water tower will be taken out of commission once new infrastructure is ready to take its place. Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.