NILES — City council recently approved legislation regarding a pair of waterline projects.

At its meeting Wednesday, council adopted a resolution authorizing the mayor or service director to submit an application for funding through the state of Ohio and the Appalachian Regional Commision, seeking $391,000 for the Johnnycake Road waterline replacement project.

Niles Mayor Steve Mientkiewicz said the project will include the replacement of the Johnnycake Road waterline between Mines Road and U.S. 422 near the Eastwood Mall.

“It’s a problem area in one of our subdistricts of the public water system,” Mientkiewicz said. “There have been multiple breaks and issues on that line.”

Mientkiewicz said the city will submit the application for the Johnnycake Road project to ARC by mid- to late summer. Mientkiewicz said the commission will notify the city as to whether it is awarded the funding in the first quarter of 2025.

“We’ve been very successful with the Appalachian Regional Commission grant, specific to waterlines, over the last three years,” Mientkiewicz said. “We’re hoping for funding for this project as well.”

According to its website, the ARC is an economic development partnership entity of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 423 counties across the Appalachian region.

In partnership with the Ohio Governor’s Office of Appalachia, ARC supported 53 projects in Ohio totaling $24.1 million in fiscal year 2023, the website states.

Another ARC related waterline replacement discussed at the council meeting was a project on Salt Springs Road.

Council adopted a resolution authorizing the mayor or service director to advertise for bids and enter into contract for the Salt Springs Road waterline replacement project.

According to the legislation, the entire project will cost about $480,216 — $297,100 will be covered by a grant from the ARC and $183,116 will be paid for through local funds.

Mientkiewicz said the Salt Springs project is “a little bit bigger” than the Johnnycake Road project.