Grandview residents may one day have access to public sewer now that funding has been provided for a pre-engineering study, but it is still not a guarantee.
During a special meeting of the Raleigh County Commission on Tuesday, December 28, commissioners approved a $50,000 loan to the Shady Spring Public Service District (PSD) for the purpose of hiring an engineering firm to determine how to build sewer infrastructure from the existing system at Crow Road, underneath Interstate 64 and on to the area just beyond Rebecca Lane. Once the pre-engineering study is complete, phase one of construction may begin. However, before construction can begin, at least 80 percent of residents must approve the proposal.
While the numbers are close, said Shady Spring Manager Jerry Smith in an interview with The West Virginia Daily News on Monday, January 3, not enough residents have responded to the survey to reach the 80 percent in-favor goal.
About four years ago, commissioners first made the proposal to have sewer infrastructure built in the Grandview area, but that proposal did not pass the initial discussion stage. Now that Grandview State Park has been designated as a National Park, commissioners and residents wanted to revisit that discussion.
Back in the summer, residents of Grandview met with commission members, engineers and employees of the Shady Spring PSD at the Grandview Christian Church to discuss the possibility of extending public sewer access.
Those in favor of the project stated that they were tired of both the sewer smells after a hard rain and sewage from a neighbors septic system coming onto their property. Many felt like there would be no better time than now to have a public sewage system installed, especially since officials with the National Park Service stated that they would provide a $12,000,000 grant to fund phase one of the project.
Those who spoke against the project were concerned about fees associated with installation of a pumping system, which must be placed at every home, and PSD rate fees. They also expressed concern about future development in the area.
At that time, residents were asked to fill out a survey stating whether they were for or against the project. While the majority of Grandview residents have expressed their desire to have public sewer access, only about 181 households out of 416 have responded, Smith stated.
“We are close,” said Smith. He explained that in order to move forward with construction, the Shady Spring PSD and the Raleigh County Commissioners need to know that Grandview residents want this project to happen.
He asks that those who have not yet voiced their opinion come to the Shady Spring PSD and fill out a survey. Any Grandview resident with additional questions or concerns is encouraged to call Smith at 304-255-1565.
In other commission business, commissioners approved a $1 million grant to the Shady Spring PSD to build an additional cleaning tank at the plant in Glen Morgan.
According to Raleigh County Administrator Jay Quesenberry, there has been a lot of growth in the Shady Spring area in recent years that has created the need for an additional tank. The $1 million provided by the Raleigh County Commission will be used to mitigate PSD rate increases for the cost of the upgrade. He noted that it could take a while before construction actually begins.
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