Water line projects back on track

Over the years many Lawrence County households have benefitted from Community Development Block Grants that extended “city” water lines into rural areas.

The state awards these grants based on surveys that Commissioners conduct in their districts. To merit a project, surveys must show that a road has enough residents who want water, and that 50% of them have low to moderate income.

Our most recent project was funded with a grant for $525,000 plus $45,653 in county matching funds. It includes residents of Rigling, Joe Williams, Jonestown, Second Creek and Sunnybrook Creek Roads, Doub Lane, and Dyestone Branch, approximately 42 households in all.

After a grant is awarded, specifications for the project are available for contractors who submit bids to do the water line installations. Bids are opened in a public meeting and the lowest wins the contract, according to state law.

The low bid for this project was accepted in August, 2015 and the contract stated that all work had to be complete by the end of February, 2016.

Unfortunately, that did not happen. The contractor and his employees started work on every road but as the weeks passed, failed to make progress. We did everything we could to get the project going again, including financial penalties against the contractor.

We have terminated our contract effective Friday, August 5 and the second-lowest bidder will be offered the job. The first contractor’s bonding agent will be responsible for paying the difference between the two bids, so it will not cost the county any additional money.

I want to personally apologize to everyone who is affected by this issue. I’ve visited all the areas involved and seen abandoned equipment and yards filled with excavated dirt, even at homes not involved in the project. I am extremely upset you’ve had to deal with these problems, but most of all that you don’t have water lines yet.

These CDBG-funded programs have extended thousands of linear feet of water lines throughout Lawrence County over the years. My own home is one of them. Under County Executive Paul Rosson’s administration, water lines were installed in the Five Points area and we became part of the Leoma Utility District.

Our well had provided all the water we needed, but we live in farm country and worried that pesticides might eventually leach into it. The well pump ran on electricity so power outages left us without water, too. Pumps require maintenance, can freeze in cold weather, and cost a lot to replace. We are so happy to have a clean, dependable and worry-free source of water.

There are still many Lawrence Countians who do not enjoy those benefits. Many are forced to haul water from area creeks because their wells have run dry or become contaminated. We need to get this project out of the way so we can apply for more grant funds to help more people.

Under these programs, residents with low or moderate income pay only a small fee to have water lines connected to their homes. Higher-income residents pay a tap fee and the cost of having lines installed between the water meter and their homes. It’s a great deal for everyone when the process works as it should and deadlines are met. Hopefully, residents who are part of this project will have their long-awaited water soon.