Burton Village BPA Advised of Water Tower Maintenance Costs

January 24, 2024 by Ann Wishart

Burton Village water tower has not only provided water storage for the village for more than 60 years, it supports a vital service for area residents and passers-through — cellphone antennas.

The village leases the space to cellphone companies for about $40,000 per year, said village Administrator Jennell Dahlhausen.

Those funds are shared among the village tree commission, the park board and the water and sewer department.

Utilities Supervisor Jake Neill told the Burton Village Board of Public Affairs Jan. 9 he recently received a $54,000 quote for repairs to the fences around the tower and the ladders leading to the top of it.

It is a safety issue that must be addressed, he said.

“Structurally, the tower is sound. It’s inspected every year,” Neill said.

Longtime BVBPA member Curt Johnson noted all the antennas had to be removed last time the water tower needed attention.

“We had to pay to take down all that stuff from the tower so it could be painted,” Johnson said.

The village has been earmarking $20,000 to $25,000 annually for tower maintenance, he said.

Johnson proposed the antenna revenue be fully dedicated toward funding the water and sewer department.

The village has been increasing water and sewer rates steadily for the last several years to cover the cost of the new sewage disposal plant built in the last decade and to update the village infrastructure — some of which is 100 years old.

“The income we should get out of it would help a lot considering we are looking at huge rate increases,” Johnson said. “This is not Shaker Heights. We can cut back on some things. We can’t cut back on sewer and water — period.”

Board member Nick Rundo said reallocation of the antenna funds is necessary if regrettable.

“The park is very important to me, but the village has to find another way to support our park and trees,” he said.

The lease for space on the water tower was renewed a couple of years ago, Dahlhausen said, adding she was concerned the income might cease.

“The cellphone carriers said they could go another route,” she said.

“How could they move? It’s the highest point in the county,” Johnson replied.

Dahlhausen said she could take the matter to the finance committee for consideration.

Johnson noted the tower is functioning fine for now.

“One day, it’s going to need more than just maintenance,” he said.

In other business, the board authorized the application for a full grant to replace 2,100 feet of 4-inch water line on Spring Street with 8-inch line at a cost of about $718,000.

If the grant is approved, the work should be done in 2025, board Chair Bill Pinkava said, adding the grant will not cover the engineering costs of about $71,000.

Water and sewer hookup for the proposed pre-kindergarten/kindergarten building at Berkshire Schools was discussed.

Neill said he recently received an Ohio Utilities Protection Service ticket, so he went to the campus and marked the utilities now in place.

“This is preliminary for them,” he said, explaining that, although the building is in Burton Township, the village is responsible for the utility lines, so he marked them.

The village agreement with the school was that the fees for water and sewer would be calculated two years after the school was up and running — which would be in August 2024, Dahlhausen said.

However, since the district added facilities for the stadium and may add an eight-classroom building, the calculation might be delayed another two years, Pinkava said.

“More users are good for us,” he said.

Neill added the village has enough water and sewer capacity to handle the extra demand.

Additional construction would impact the tap-in fee, which would have to be recalculated, Pinkava said.