Mahoning Valley Santiary District rejects bid for Meander Dam

The Mahoning County Sanitary District (MVSD) has rejected a bid for a project to renovate the Meander Reservoir Dam in Mineral Ridge.

MVSD Chief Engineer Scott Verner told 21 News the project only got one bid, which was $106,499,514. This is much higher than MVSD's estimate of roughly $59.8 million.

Vernder explained that Ohio law states that a bid cannot exceed the estimate by any more than 20%. This bid exceeded the estimate by 80%.

MVSD's next move was to contact a private consultant about performing a constructability review highlighting any concerns regarding the project while also performing a risk assessment.

This risk assessment would allow MVSD to make any adjustments needed to address any potential risks with this project. Verner says it is too early to say what risks if any are involved in this project.

You may recall 21 News reported in May that MVSD was at risk of losing grant funding from FEMA slated to go towards this project. 

Verner says he has still not received any official notifications that the grant funding would be pulled, so MVSD is continuing on with the project as if they still have it.

The project involves putting two anchors in the dam's spillway to increase its stability and protect it from shifting in the event of an earthquake or major rainfall.

Crews also plan to make two more spillways so water has another route to flow into the creek and take additional pressure off the primary spillway.

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Mahoning Valley Sanitary District at risk of losing grant funds for Meander Dam improvements