By DANIEL SUDDEATH
Georgetown still needs to come up with $600,000 to $800,000 to construct a wastewater treatment plant according to Town Council President Billy Stewart.
The Floyd County town was awarded a $3.5 million federal stimulus grant Wednesday for constructing the plant. Stewart estimates the total price tag will likely be between $4.1 million and $4.3 million when property acquisition and permit costs are figured in to the equation.
Georgetown also has to account for an estimated $150,000 owed to the construction contractor for the plant due to delays in getting the facility started as stipulated by the contract.
Those fees and damages cannot be covered by the grant, Stewart said. He compared the stimulus grant to a car still in need of a few parts.
“The car they gave us is a great car, but we still have to put tires on it,” Stewart said.
Floyd County promised $1.4 million to Georgetown to help with its plant, and Stewart said the town will still need aid from the county despite the grant.
Steve Bush, president of the Floyd County Commissioners, said a new deal will have to be worked out with Georgetown now that more funding is in place thanks to the grant.
“We’re going to sit down and renegotiate with Georgetown again, and assess the cost that we’re obligated to because this changes a lot,” he said.
Another expense included in the additional $600,000 to $800,000 estimate is converting some Georgetown sewer customers to the new system. Due to the way the wastewater will flow, some infrastructure upgrades will be necessary, Stewart said.
“It’s a major project because it’s more than just building a plant, it’s reversing our system,” he said.
Though State Rep. Ed Clere said Georgetown sewer rates would slightly decrease due to the grant, Stewart isn’t saying that’s a fact yet.
The rates will be determined as Georgetown gets a better grasp of how much it will have to pay beyond the $3.5 million, Stewart said. It was estimated a sewer customer could pay a monthly bill of $81.85 on average if Georgetown had to finance its own plant.
A news release from Clere Wednesday stated as a result of the grant, bills would remain around the current average of $64 a month. While elated to receive the stimulus funding, Stewart said he doesn’t want people to get the wrong impression that the grant has taken care of all Georgetown’s problems.
“We still need money,” he said.
Bush is confident Georgetown residents won’t see a sizable increase — if any sewer hike at all — by the time the plant is finished. He praised Clere’s work and the joint efforts of several governing bodies in the county. County and Georgetown officials also praised the work of County Planner Don Lopp for helping secure the stimulus grant.
“It does show that even in tough times, working together for the residents of Georgetown, Floyd County will also benefit at some point and fashion here, and that was always the goal,” he said.
