City receives 95% of funding for N. Sandusky St. project

TIFFIN --- The city of Tiffin has received grant funding from the Ohio Department of Transportation. It was announced by ODOT on Tuesday that Tiffin was among 10 municipalities in nine counties that received funding as part of the department's Small City program. The program provides funds for road, safety or signal projects on certain routes within municipalities that have a population between 5,000 and 24,999, according to the department. According to City Engineer Matt Watson, the city was awarded 95% of funds for the N. Sandusky Street reconstruction project up to $1,658,961 to cover construction, construction administration and inspection costs for the project. The N. Sandusky Street project will take place between Hall and Tomb streets. The estimated cost of construction is about $1,518,500. The funds from ODOT would cover $1,442,575 of the costs, leaving the city responsible for the remaining 5%. "This estimate could decrease or increase prior to actually going to construction," Watson said. "Within the grant application, I also included a contingency cost for consulting services for the construction administration & inspection for the project since the grant will pay for 95% of those services, as well." He further explained the city can utilize a consultant for the construction administration and inspection with 95% of those fees paid for as long as they do not exceed $1,658,961. The city will be responsible for 5% of the cost up to that amount and 100% for any cost that exceeds that amount, Watson said. The local portion will be funded from the additional revenue being collected from the .25% income tax of the road and bridge levy that has been approved by voters and renewed. The levy is restricted to only being used for construction and maintenance of Tiffin's roads and bridges. Funding will become available in ODOT's fiscal year 2026, beginning July 1, 2025. The design of the reconstruction project is scheduled to begin in early 2024, with construction to begin in early 2026. The project includes full-depth pavement reconstruction, striping, signage upgrades, as well as manhole and water valve adjustments, according to a press release from the city. The city is also proposing the resurfacing of N. Sandusky Street at Tomb Street in tandem with the N. Sandusky Street reconstruction. Additional funding is being pursued to offset the extra resurfacing costs. With this grant award, since 2018, the City Engineer's Office has now successfully leveraged nearly $11.5 million in local, state and federal grant funds for community infrastructure projects.