EAST PALESTINE — Village employees spent at least 13 hours on Saturday fixing a waterline break near the former Heid Hall on James Street.
A crew of four water and wastewater employees and department superintendent John Jurjavcic worked in frigid temperatures fixing the leak from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. that night.
They were able to keep warm during that time with torpedo heaters provided by the local fire department.
Jurjavcic said the break was the result of normal wear and tear on one of the three valves on the six-inch line and affected roughly 30 people in the Heid Hall and Liberty Street area.
He said the valve was originally installed around 1996 and that the crew was able to replace the valve and put new bolts on the other two valves.
The valve replacement cost around $450, he added.
Affected homes were placed under a boil order while the crew worked to fix the problem.
“It was a very small shutdown area,” he said.
The leak did affect the former Heid Hall Catholic elementary school building, which is now owned by Dean and Karen Christian, who are working to turn it into a community center.
Mayor Margo Zuch said during the Monday council meeting that village residents should show their appreciation for the village’s crews that have to work in the freezing weather.
“They do a darn good job. Tell them thank-you, because they deserve it,” she said.
In other business during the meeting, council approved:
— A motion to appoint Councilman Alan Cohen as mayor pro-tem for 2018.
— Giving a first reading to legislation authorizing Village Manager Pete Monteleone to advertise for bids for the paving of 13 streets. The streets are Oak, Short, Young, Stacy Avenue, Western Avenue, Frank, Valley, Jackson, Orchard Alley, Anna, East High, Leslie Run, and the alley behind the school.
— Department activity reports for 2017. The fire department handled 298 calls for the year, 34 of which were structure fires and 31 vehicle accidents. Of the 298 calls, 186 were for East Palestine while the majority of the remainder were for Middleton and Unity townships.
— The EMS department handled 730 calls for the year, with 537 in East Palestine and the majority of the remainder in Unity Township.
— The park generated a total of $86,686 in revenue and attracted 17,868 swimmers to the pool. The bulk of the revenue was generated through community center rentals and pool activities.
— The village took in $6,015 in building and demolition permit fees and $9,850 in connection and other fees.
— Council also approved an executive session to discuss pending litigation. No action was taken.
kwhite@mojonews.com