ASHLAND — Ashland City Council has hired a consulting firm to design the upsizing of a sewer line that runs under Smith Road.
Ms Consultants, an engineering firm with offices in Ohio and Indiana, will design the project for no more than $230,000, according to the ordinance unanimously passed Tuesday.
Ashland Mayor Matt Miller said the project entails upsizing existing sewer lines from 12 inches and 10 inches to 15 inches and 18 inches in diameter. The project would extend along Smith Road from South Baney to approximately Thomas Drive, Miller said.
“It’s more than 70 years old,” Miller said of the existing sewer line. “So not only is it needed to meet the current needs but it will also help us address any additional development, including the condominiums that are expected to be built along Baney and behind Peace Lutheran Church.”
The mayor referenced the planned Eagle Landings condo project. The housing development, led by Mansfield-based Hunsinger Builders LLC, calls for 123 units on 63 lots. Council approved a rezoning of the former farming land in 2022.
Miller hopes the upsized sewer lines will also facilitate further housing development in the area, namely a planned project on 67.5 acres of recently annexed farmland directly west of the condominium project on South Baney Road.
City and Milton Township officials have said the property owner, Ashway LLC, hopes to develop the land for housing. Details of the project, however, have not been made public.
Miller said the city does not have a cost estimate for the actual sewer line upgrade. This phase only involves its design.
“We’re inquiring about loan programs and low-interest loans offered through the state,” he said, adding that no grants are lined up for the project. “We’re looking into how we’re going to finance this project.”