City to replace Mansfield Avenue sanitary main, extend Cottage Street sewer to end shared laterals

City staff outlined a bundled sanitary‑sewer project that would replace an aging clay main behind 103–111 Mansfield Avenue — a short line that has required repeated cleanouts — and build a roughly 120‑foot extension on Cottage Street to eliminate a shared lateral currently used by three houses.

Staff told the committee the Mansfield section services only five houses but has needed maintenance “once or twice a year,” which they described as excessive for such a short line. The plan calls for replacing the old main, reconnecting the five customers to a new line and removing about half a dozen maple trees that currently grow over the pipe where necessary to access and replace it.

On Cottage Street, between Calhoun and Curtis, staff said they discovered a shared lateral among three properties that leaves no practical way for individual homes to connect to the main except by creating very long private laterals or continuing to share a common line. The recommended fix is a short main extension that would allow individual connections; staff said the work requires a permit from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

Staff said the southernmost of the three Cottage Street properties already expressed interest in hooking up to a new main and anticipated the others would follow once the extension is installed. No final contractor was selected during the meeting; staff indicated they bundled the two small projects into one contract to increase bidder interest and improve competitive pricing.

Next steps: staff will pursue permitting with Ohio EPA for Cottage Street, finalize design and include the work in a bid package intended to attract multiple bidders.