COVINGTON — The Covington Village Council heard the latest update regarding the village’s aging wastewater treatment plant during its regular meeting Monday.
In November 2020, Village Services Supervisor Mike Weber gave a presentation to council members, bringing them up to speed with the plant’s pressing needs and deteriorating features.
According to Weber, the plant was first constructed in the early 1940s and along with the physical deterioration of the facility itself, Weber highlighted the fact that the plant is not currently equipped to meet anticipated Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards.
During Monday’s meeting, Village Administrator Kyle Hinkelman requested council approve a resolution authorizing him to enter into an agreement with Poggemeyer Design Group for the wastewater treatment plan PER document update.
“We requested two companies to provide us a scope of work to take the old PER, which is the document that gave us a pathway forward on how to move the existing wastewater treatment facility to meet current code,” Hinkelman said. “(The PER) really gave us three pathways forward.”
The first option outlined in this document, which was created in 2013, Hinkelman said, was to connect to the city of Piqua and have them provide the (wastewater treatment service); the second option was an incremental approach — to make small changes over a long period of time and have that at some point meet EPA requirements; and the third option was to potentially build a new facility in Covington.
“This engineering work that would be done by Poggemeyer would be to update that document and provide an updated scope to the village that we can review and be able to make a final determination, or an updated determination, on how to move forward with a solution for our wastewater treatment plant,” Hinkelman said.
Hinkelman added that this updated document will give the village a better understanding as to what will be expected of the plant in terms of EPA standards, and will provide more information regarding estimated costs.
In other business, council:
• Authorized the village administrator to enter into agreements with Access Engineering to complete drawings for the High Street Resurfacing Project; to complete the engineering work for the Face Street Resurfacing Project; and to assist in bidding and finalizing engineering components for the High Street Utility Project.
• Voted to pass an ordinance amending the 2020 annual appropriations. This is an annual housekeeping action.
• Authorized the modification of the Village of Covington Personnel Policy and Procedure Manual.
• Held the second reading of an ordinance adopting a position description plan for the village, as well as an ordinance adopting the 2021 budget.
The next meeting will be held Monday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m., via Zoom. Meeting agendas, minutes and Zoom information is located on the village’s website, www.covington-oh.gov.
