By Meladi Brewer

DailyAdvocate.com

VERSAILLES — Versailles is looking at improving traffic flow and increasing water and sewer rates.

Village Administrator Kyle Francis had discussions with Choice One Engineering about traffic signal improvements on Main Street and Center Street to help traffic flow and modernize the signals and support.

“The intent would be to eventually install traffic signal mast arms, new controls, and new traffic signal fixtures,” Francis said. “These improvements would also include detection equipment to keep traffic flowing by sensing a waiting vehicle and primarily keep traffic moving through on State Route 47.”

These traffic signals would also be integrated with the nearby railroad crossings just as the current crossings are. By better controlling traffic flow, The Village can decrease vehicles stopping and accelerating in the central business district area that would help reduce traffic noise and long lines of vehicles idling.

“In the discussions with engineers from Choice One, they advised that a traffic study would be needed to verify that the traffic signals are warranted per Ohio Manual of Uniform Traffic Code (OMUTCD) standard in order to apply and obtain funding for improvements,” Francis said.

Choice One had provided a price of $7,600 to perform the traffic signal warrant analyses.

“I am recommending to perform the traffic signal warrant analyses so that our signals are warranted and that we can explore potential future funding options,” Francis said.

The preliminary engineer’s construction estimate for the Main and Center Street intersection is $435,205, and the West and Main Street intersection is $418,600.

“We are also looking to do a mass mailing with new village utility magnets,” Francis said. “These magnets will have a village logo with all utility emergency phone numbers and office phone numbers.”

It has been 10 years since a mass mailing has taken place, and the village has seen an uptick in utility customers not knowing the emergency utility contact phone numbers in a time of need.

“We do several postings in traditional media, Progress Reports, and social media with these numbers each year,” Francis said. “However, our utility clerks and utility personnel continue to hear comments about customers not knowing these key phone numbers.”

The hope is that the magnets end up on refrigerators and will be useful in a time of need. The mass mailing will include a magnet and supporting letter outlining the proper numbers to contact for certain utility emergencies. VPP offers this turn-key service in which they will produce the magnets, run letter copies, and mail everything.

“We typically mail 1,550 utility invoices each month. We currently have just shy of 2,000 total electric customers, and a quote for 2,000 letters equates to a cost of $2,213.53,” Francis said.

The village will look to fine tune the actual mailing count once things progress further will proof design of the magnet. Francis also shared the North Central Waterline Improvement Project is winding down with the overall project now approximately 90 percent complete.

“The remaining water services are currently being completed on Morgan Street. Final water main connections on the N. Central Street in addition to new fire hydrant installations will start next week with several live taps being performed on the existing 10 inch ductile iron water main that will remain in service,” Francis said.

Asphalt trench patching is tentatively planned to start the first week of September, and concrete and lawn restoration will take place once all pipe work is complete. Several water service line leaks and poor condition mains have been discovered on the project.

“The village’s overall water loss is now at just five percent for the first time in years,” Francis said. “The Ohio EPA views anything below 15 percent water loss as acceptable.”

The council reviewed and discussed the new water and sewer rates as proposed by Sawvel & Associates.

“We have been having conversations as the Sawvel company has been working on the Water, Sewer Rate Study, and what we have ultimately come down to is Sawvel is recommending a 10 percent water rate increase in addition to a four percent sewer rate increase,” Francis said.

He said they will be getting a comprehensive rate moving forward with set increments; however, the Village is also getting ready to move forward with a request for qualifications to do a water and waste water study at both facilities.

“With that study will come preliminary engineering estimates and phasing of these future improvements that are needed,” Francis said.

What they had decided, and what Sawvel highly recommended, was to move forward with the rate increases now for what they know will come up and is a given.

“The increases are the nature of the industry right now,” Francis said. “Lime is up, chlorine is way up, so the recommendation is to do the rate increase right now, and we will do those engineering studies for plants.”

Francis said it’ll take about nine months to move complete the study, and by next summer, the Village will be in position to do a full rate analysis, rate projection moving forward.

“We’d be able to go, ok year one needs to be this, year two is this, and year three will be this,” Francis said. “We are looking at some sizable Capital Improvements on the Water and Water Water plants.”

A real world example Francis gave included data from a married couple with no children. They use about 600 cubic feet a month, and their average bill is $53.20 a month with Sanitary, Sewer being $36.21.

“With that 10 percent water and four percent sewer, the same bill usage went up five dollars on the water side, and it increased just shy of a dollar on the sanitary side,” Francis said.

He also provided an example regarding a married family with four children who use 1,000 cubic feet of water.

“Same thing, the rate of projection for them as they are using more water. It is just a shade over five dollar increase a month on the water bill, and on the sanitary, sewer bill, they are going up right around two dollars,” Francis said.

Sawvel also provided rate comparisons from neighboring communities, but Francis prefaced the information by saying “water and sewer is one of those things that you are always going to find a community cheaper and more expensive than where yours is.”

“At the end of the day, you have to go back and figure out how was their plant, what is the treatment process, etc. We are lime softening which is different than Coldwater that is a sanitary sewer lagoon,” Francis said.

There was no action at this time, and the council only continued the discussion with the notion that legislation will be drafted for the next meeting on Aug. 28th.

To contact Daily Advocate Reporter Meladi Brewer, email [email protected].