July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.

Sewer plan hearing held (10/23/06)

Jay County Commissioners

By By MARY ANN LEWIS-

A proposed sewer line extension to the Foxfire home addition, west of Portland, is expected to cost about $40,000 less than first estimated, thanks to the construction of the Premier Ethanol production facility.

Holding a public meeting on the creation of a regional sewer district this morning, Richard Lautz, an engineer with Commonwealth Engineers, Inc., Indianapolis, told Jay County Commissioners Milo Miller Jr., Gary Theurer, and Faron Parr that project estimates now put the project at about $750,000.

With the construction of the ethanol plant southwest of the Foxfire addition, the sewer line will now be brought to the Portland Wastewater Treatment plant through a shorter route.

That route will take the line from the areas of county road 125 South, county road 300 West and Ind. 67, through the Premier site, across the Salamonie River and east down county road 150 South to the plant.

"It's going to be cheaper than first thought," Lautz told commissioners.

The project will include the construction of a lift station at the Premier Ethanol site and through various grinding pumps and lift stations along the route, before wastewater dumps into the wastewater treatment plant.

The troubling part of the proposed project is the timeline.

The county has 750 days to complete the project, according to the state, Lautz said.

Expressing concern about the length of time was Foxfire resident, Portland attorney Bill Hinkle.

"We'd like to have this taken care of as quickly as possible," he said during the meeting.

The county received an order from the state in 2004 after it was discovered that treated sewage was flowing into a creek on the west side of the Foxfire Addition that then flows into the Salamonia River.

The discharge was apparently from an old septic system, it was determined.

With today's public hearing on the creation of the sewer district, Lautz said it was "all up to the state now."

The state will confirm that the public meeting was held, and the sewer district will be deemed an entity.

The next step will be finding funding for the project, Lautz told commissioners, explaining that a Rural Development loan might be sought that has a 40-year payback timeframe.

In other business, meeting as the Jay County Drainage board, members heard surveyor Brad Daniels explain progress on the construction along West Votaw Street, near the new Wal-Mart SuperCenter.

The board also approved Wal-Mart officials' request for a amendment to their drainage plans.

Daniels said officials there now want to empty surface water held in a retention pond just to the north of the new store into the nearby Wehrly Ditch.

Emptying the pond will alleviate water standing in a nearby farm field as well as running across the Industrial Park Drive, Daniels explained.

To do so, a drainage pipe will be extended under Industrial Park Drive he said, adding that he would be meeting with Portland Mayor Bruce Hosier late today to explain the requested change.

Plans were recently accepted by Portland's Redevelopment Commission, to undertake reconstruction work on Industrial Park Drive, and Daniels said that he wanted to make the change before that work on that project begins.

The board also approved Daniels's request to purchase extended warranty insurance on the drive train on a bulldozer the county purchased in 2005.

The five-year or 3,000-hour extended coverage will be from the equipment manufacturer, Komatsu, at a cost of $2,389.

Daniels explained there is no deductible costs, and it includes labor and parts.[[In-content Ad]]
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