GALION — City of Galion officials will proceed with a sewer replacement project on Gleddale Boulevard.
Safety-Service Director Nicole Ward told the Galion City Council Utilities Committee during its recent meeting that the city is contracting with Crawford Construction Co., Inc. to conduct the project. Ward said the company submitted a bid of $38,500. The project will begin in June, Ward said.
“This will be a replacement of the storm line, basically from the start of the boulevard on Gleddale all the way to the west end where it’ll empty out,” Ward said. “There is currently a pipe there, but it’s collapsed in places, and this will also extend it to get the water on out of the neighborhood.”
Mayor Tom O’Leary said a Gleddale Boulevard resident requested some help to ease flooding in the area that is having an adverse effect on her home’s foundation. Council member Thomas G. Fellner, At-large, noted that
“Gleddale, about two or three houses from the end of the lane, has always collected water in a pretty large fashion,” Fellner said. “I know this will help a lot. Having it done this year and at that price is a good idea.”
Rising Son Company of Mansfield and Driven Excavating of Mansfield also submitted bids for the project.
Officials in Galion are considering whether to locate an electric vehicle (EV) charging station in the city. Members of the Utilities Committee met with a representative from ChargePoint, Inc. Founded in 2007, the Campbell, California-based company now operates the largest online network of independently-owned electric vehicle charging stations in North America and Europe.
ChargePoint sales executive Jimmy Smith said the company has about 130,000 charging stations worldwide with about 75,000 of those located in North America. The company offers various types of charging services for home use, fleet, and public mixed use. The company offers DC fast-charging equipment, which can charge an electric vehicle in about 20 to 40 minutes, Smith said.
O’Leary said the city is considering entering into a three-year lease agreement with ChargePoint to place DC fast charging equipment at the Valero gas station on Ohio 598 north near the junction with U.S. 30. The annual fee for leasing the equipment is $19,200. He said negotiations with the owner of the Valero station are still in progress.
O’Leary noted that the U.S. 30 corridor was not included in state government’s plans for increasing the number of charging stations in Ohio. He said a study of the region from Ontario west to Lima determined that Galion would be a good place to locate a charging station along U.S. 30.
Smith said several municipalities in Ohio lease ChargePoint equipment, including Wooster, Lancaster, Athens, Somerset, Columbus, and Dayton.
No final decision has been made regarding leasing the EV charging station.
