Youngstown board to consider $13.5 million for mandated sewage facility design

YOUNGSTOWN Youngstown's Board of Control is set to consider more than $13.5 million in professional service contracts Thursday morning to begin the final design of a massive sewage treatment facility mandated by a federal court order to protect the waters of Mill Creek.

The board will meet at 9:30 a.m. on the sixth floor of City Hall to vote on five separate agenda items requested by Deputy Director of Public Works Charles Shasho. All five items relate to final design services for the Combined Sewer Overflow control measure.

According to court documents filed in the U.S. District Court, the project is a critical component of a "Consent Decree Amendment" between the city, the United States, and the State of Ohio.

The contracts up for a vote on Thursday are required to address Youngstown's "largest source of Combined Sewer Overflow discharges".

Under the amended federal decree, the city must construct a High-Rate Treatment facility capable of treating 80 million gallons per day to control flows during wet weather. The facility will utilize "cloth-disk filter media technology" to treat the wastewater.

This project replaces a previous requirement for a larger, 100 million gallons per day facility, a modification Youngstown requested, and federal authorities approved in the June filing.

According to the Board of Control agenda, the largest single contract is proposed for MS Consultants. The board will consider a $7,635,223 agreement with the firm to handle the design of sitework, utility coordination, an influent tunnel, an influent pump station, and grit removal.

The remaining four items designate Arcadis U.S. Inc. for various specialized design aspects of the facility, totaling approximately $5.89 million.

The expenditure aligns with deadlines established by the consent decree. The court-ordered schedule mandates that the final design of the High-Rate Treatment facility be submitted by July 2027. Construction must start by January 2028, with completion mandated by September 2030.

The consent decree resolves the claims originally brought by the U.S. and Ohio against Youngstown in 1998 regarding violations of the Clean Water Act.

While the June 2025 amendment adjusted the scope of the treatment facility and added a requirement for a "West-Division Interceptor Sewer Replacement," it did not waive the federal government's previous demand for stipulated penalties regarding past alleged violations.

Funding for all five contracts on Thursday's agenda is available through the city’s Professional Services fund.

Project Cost Breakdown