“Obviously the board of education and the administration are very pleased — as well as the community — that the high school has its own water now,” he said. “And from a legal and a fiscal standpoint, we are also all glad that the whole process is almost complete.”

The completion of the municipal water project at Conneaut Valley Junior-Senior High School will also bring an end to water quality issues that the district experienced during the 2007-08 school year which required weekly testing.

According to Elwood Schell, director of physical plant and maintenance at Conneaut School District, the last water quality test was performed in mid-June and all of the results “came back good.” In the unlikely event that a wrench is thrown into the municipal water project’s timeline and it’s not ready by students’ first day of school Aug. 27, “We’ve continued testing the water throughout the summer and there are no problems at this time,” he said. “If municipal water is not hooked up, we will definitely re-test again before school starts.”

When the water is flowing freely, Schell will breathe a sign of relief. But at least for right now, he’s reveling in the fact that it’s “almost over.”

Penni Schaefer can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at pschaefer@meadvilletribune.com.