Ulan Visits Bowerston to Review Water Plant Relocation Project

Nick Ulan, deputy regional director for U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, visited Bowerston Tuesday, Sept. 23, to discuss the village’s water plant relocation project.

Mayor Paula Beamer, Village Administrator Bart Busby, Utility Operator Jeremiah Warner, and engineers Matt Miller and Dick Bible of W.E. Quicksall & Associates Inc. toured the current water treatment plant and well sites, which sit in a 100-year flood plain. Floodwaters most recently entered the facility in 2022.

After the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency issued a notice of violation, Beamer began researching solutions to the problem, which has plagued the village since the plant’s construction in the 1950s.

The group also visited the proposed site for a new facility, located on Main Street at the former elementary school property. Beamer provided Ulan with an informational packet that included photographs of flooding through the years.

Ulan said he believes “this project is very important to the village.” Busby agreed, noting it is also vital “to the villages of both Bowerston and Leesville as well as the Conotton Valley (Union Local) School.”

During the visit, Ulan discussed with engineers and village officials the funding already in place for the project and potential additional options.

Bowerston officials are also scheduled to meet with representatives from Sen. Bernie Moreno’s office in October for further discussion.

Beamer expressed gratitude for Ulan’s visit, saying she was “very grateful for the time” he spent in the village, learning about “our projects and hopes for the future.”