CALHOUN WATER PROJECT COSTS RISING - 21-Mile Extension Will Cost $5.2 Million

(01/02/2008)

The costs of a 21-mile Calhoun water project stretching from Russett-Sand Ridge-Millstone and along Rt. 16 from Arnoldsburg to Chloe, continue to increase. Angela White Negley, a Community Development Specialist with the WV Development Office, told the Calhoun Commission late last year the project costs have gone from $4.5 million to $5.2 million. Negley and Tim Meeks with the Mid-Ohio Regional Development Council, met with commissioners regarding the project's implementation, related to using funds from a $1.5 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission. Negley indicated it would likely be this fall (2008) before the project is out to bid, with recommendations that the project be operational within three years. The rest of the project is being funded by the USDA/Rural Utilities Service. Mt. Zion Public Service District secretary Wilma Mace said earlier this year that 150 customers originally signed for taps, the minimum number to secure funding. Since then, the ARC is saying the system will serve 183 households, two churches, two businesses and a volunteer fire department. The project also includes two water tanks, 70 fire hydrants and a number of pumps. Residents will also benefit from better fire protection and lower insurance rates. Signers agreed to pay a $100 tap fee and agreed to get water for three years. The average water bill would be about $26 a month, said Mace. Negley said local residents who cannot afford the tap fee will be eligible for some assistance.

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