GIRARD — City officials are reviewing plans for mandated repairs at Girard Upper Lake dam.

Safety Service Director Mark Ragozine said at Monday’s council meeting the city is re-evaluating the dam’s design and engineering and will go to the Ohio Water Development Authority for funding for the mandated work at the dam.

“We are under an ODNR mandate to secure the dam and complete improvements to the dam in the next five years,” Ragozine said.

He said if funds are acquired for the project, the work should be completed by 2030.

Ragozine said the city is working with Verdantas, formerly CT Consultants, which is the consulting firm for the project.

“We are looking at what improvements need to be done and what studies will have to be done that will help us prepare a plan for moving forward with construction,” Ragozine said.

He said the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is mandating the city to complete improvements at the dam and secure it. Otherwise, ODNR will come in and do the work, which will be a bigger expense.

At the meeting, council gave first reading to legislation to apply for and enter into a cooperative agreement for the engineering, planning and design of the Girard Upper Lake dam improvement project between the city and Ohio Water Development Authority.

Improvements are a new emergency spillway, hydraulic and structure improvements to the existing principal spillway, lake drain and new seepage drainage system.

Zach Teter, an engineer with MS Consultants, said the ODNR inspected the Upper Lake dam in 2021. The inspection noted the dam required remedial measures be completed by the city that included modifications and repairs to the existing dam such as installing an emergency spillway, lowering the normal pool level, and rehabilitate the existing spillway and drains.

He said any items not completed by the city are a violation of the Ohio Administrative Code allowing ODNR to take control of the project and bring civil action against the city to cover the project cost plus additional penalties.

Verdantas was hired as the project engineering firm in 2023 to proceed with the preliminary design.

Teter said grant funding includes $187,500 secured through a 2022 Federal Emergency Management Agency grant, which is a 65-35% match with the city paying $65,625 and the federal match being $121,875.

An application was submitted for $275,000 through the 2024 FEMA grant program and is pending a funding determination, officials said.

That amount has the city match at $96,250, which is 35%, and the federal match is $178,750, which is 65%.

Teter said the city administration recommended applying for a five-year low-interest loan for planning and design through OWDA. The loan can be rolled over into a 30-year dam safety construction loan with a potential 25% maximum reduction in the interest rate.

Teter said securing an OWDA planning and design loan for $713,900 would allow the city to be reimbursed $195,208 to the city’s water fund.

“There are deadlines to get the work at the dam done. We would rather get the work done sooner than later,” he said.