A vote at Shaker's most recent city council meeting cleared the way for a loan to help pay for sewer-line improvements along a 1.4-mile stretch of Van Aken Boulevard.

The need for the replacement of about 2,200 linear feet of 15-inch sanitary sewer came from the discovery of cracked, broken and missing portions of pipes on Van Aken, between Farnsleigh and Lee roads.

Council's approval for the city to seek a loan came a few months after council agreed to seek funding from the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency to resurface Van Aken.

"We made some minor repairs and we do some maintenance to help alleviate basic flooding in the interim," Public Works Director William W. Boag said. "We're looking to get this section of sanitary fixed prior to (the Van Aken resurfacing project), and this is a perfect opportunity."

The city will seek a zero-interest loan from the Ohio Public Works Commission for $385,000 for 15 years. That amount represents about 70 percent of the project's $550,000 cost. The city's $165,000 share will come from the 2013 Sewer General Capital Fund, Boag said. The $25,700-per-year debt service payments will come from the sewer fund.

The payments would begin in 2014 at the earliest, according to a memo from Boag to city council. The sewer fund currently generates nearly $1.38 million in revenue per year.

"This is a no-brainer, it's no interest, you have to do it," Councilwoman Nancy Moore said. "It's part of the infrastructure and we have to do it before we pave the road."