Infrastructure

The City of Massillon Infrastructure is under the responsibility of the Engineering Department. These include: City of Massillon Roads, Bridges, Wastewater Treatment Facility, Sewer Collection System, Pump Stations, Drainage structures, and Engineering Vehicles and Equipment.

The municipal infrastructure typically represents one of the largest investments for a community. The City of Massillon’s infrastructure replacement value has been conservatively estimated at over $ 325,000,000. Consequently, it is very important that the City’s infrastructure continue to be managed efficiently and effectively.

The benefits of a comprehensive municipal infrastructure plan include: a better understanding of the total infrastructure needs within the community, improved management practices and better decision making; increased ability to determine the overall infrastructure replacement/repair costs thus allowing officials to seek the most appropriate funding options from local, state and federal sources; and less time and effort to update annual operating and capital budgets.

Funding:

The City of Massillon identifies and prioritizes its anticipated capital expenditures each year in a five year Capital Improvement Program (CIP). The CIP has two major components: the Capital Budget, which is the first year of the program; and the Capital Plan, which is represented by the remaining four years. Presently, the replacement/repair costs for infrastructure under the jurisdiction of the Engineering Department is funded through various methods such as  Income Tax, Sanitary Sewer Fees, Municipal Road Funds, License Plate Fees, the Ohio Public Works Commission, Stark County Area Transportation Study, and State and Federal grants.

The municipal infrastructure is vitally important to the social, economic and environmental well being of our community. While infrastructure repair and replacement can be costly, it should be viewed as an investment in the future of the City of Massillon.

There are 8 bridges under the jurisdiction of the Department of Engineering within the City of Massillon inspected by ODOT. ODOT/County maintains an additional 12 bridges in the corporation limits. Some of the bridges have recently been added such as the 17th St NE Bridge, the Pedestrian Bridge over SR 21 and the Woodstone Creek Bridge.

Each year the State of Ohio Department of Transportation contracts with an Engineering Firm to complete a comprehensive evaluation of the bridges. Upon the field inspection a report is compiled and it is filed.

The City of Massillon’s Drainage System consists of approximately 131.78 miles of storm sewer pipes, 1,812 Manholes, 4,226 Catch Basins, 27 Junction Chambers, 150 outfalls and appurtenances, which carry flow to the Tuscarawas River. Please visit our Storm Water web page for more information.

There are more than 175 miles of roads in the City that require “Annual Maintenance” work. As asphalt constructed roads age, the petroleum products in their surfaces evaporate, causing roads to become brittle and then they begin to break up. The pavement will continue to deteriorate until it fails and must be reconstructed. An increased repair effort is required to keep passable roads that have exceeded their useful pavement life. The infrastructure replacement or reconstruction cost of the roads is $213,000,000.00 or $1,220,000.00 per mile. This cost includes the asphalt pavement, subbase and excavation only. It does not include curbs, sidewalks, under drains, utilities, or sewers.

It is obviously less costly for the City to keep its roads from slipping into the expensive road reconstruction category. Thus, the preferred method for road maintenance is to resurface roads annually versus reconstruction. The strategy of the Department is to expend Capital Improvement Funds on the roadways. This would represent the present funding provided annually in the City of Massillon on average of $1,000,000.00.

Streets and Highways Department

The City of Massillon’s Sanitary Sewer Collection System consists of approximately 169.95 miles of sewer pipes, 3651 manholes, and appurtenances, which flow to the Wastewater Treatment Facility.

The collection system’s first pipes were installed in 1898. The system currently is comprised of five different types of pipe with varying sizes and service life. The service life of sewer pipes is determined by the structural integrity of the pipe, materials and the connections that join them and the composition of the sewage flowing through them. The pipe material used in the City of Massillon and its anticipated service life are as follows:

PVC – Polyvinyl Chloride            100 Years

VC – Vitrified Clay                         50 Years

DI – Ductile Iron                            75 Years

RCP – Reinforced Conc. Pipe      80 Years

FM – Forced Main                      100 Years

Please visit our Collection System web page for more information.

The City of Massillon’s Traffic Signals, Signs and Pavement Markings are maintained by our Traffic Safety Division. The City maintains 57 signalized intersections throughout the City Corporation Limits. These intersections include Traffic signals, Pedestrian signals, Controllers, Video, Loop or Mechanical Vehicle Detection, Mast Arms or Span Wires, Pull Boxes, Signs, Wiring and Power Service maintained by the City.

Also, 21 Flashing Signals, 1,453 Stop Signs, 303 Speed Limit Signs, 13 School Zones and other pertinent roadway signs, including 460 Parking signs and 2,100 Street Name Signs.

The replacement cost of these items totals more than $10,000,000.

Construction of City of Massillon’s original sewer system began over 100 years ago. Since that time, the system has been periodically expanded to accommodate additional residential, commercial and industrial users.

The effluent from the treatment facility discharges into the Tuscarawas River, an interstate river that also serves as a source of public water supply. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 established new federal guidelines and regulations for sewage treatment projects. As a result, the City was required to satisfy many new regulatory requirements.

Construction upgrades of City of Massillon’s sewer treatment plant became the focal point of the new millennium. With the increased usage of industrial and residential sewage waste collection from an expanding Western Stark County, the facility could no longer properly handle the growing sewage flows. For that reason the Massillon Regional Waste Water Treatment Plant Upgrade 2000 project came to fruition. The $32 million dollar expansion improvements increased the size of the plant facility to 15.8 MGD Advanced Secondary Treatment Process.

As required by a federal mandate, in the early 1980’s, the City began to study the effects of local industrial wastes. This study determined the character of these wastes, assessed their relative compatibility with the sewerage system, and established Industrial Pretreatment regulations for all incompatible wastes. As a result of this study the Industrial Pretreatment Division was created. Today, this function is overseen by an Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator who regulates the industrial and commercial waste in the City.

There are four publicly owned pump stations in the wastewater collection system:

The Augusta Lakes Pump Station

The Lincoln Way West Pump Station

The Nova Industrial Park Pump Station

The 17th St/Carmont Pump Station

In addition to the sanitary pump stations, the collection system has several metering stations located in the City.

Massillon Sanitary Sewer Infrastructure GIS Map

Stark County Sanitary Sewer Infrastructure GIS Map