Friday, April 11, 2003
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Friday, April 11, 2003 |
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Senoia awaits sewer cost figures By JOHN THOMPSON
Senoia officials are hopeful they will find out about the funding of their sewer system in the next two weeks. The total price for the system is $8.5 million, which is $2 million more than the city expected when it estimated the price two years ago. City engineer Ben Turnipseed told the council earlier this year the nearly two-year delay in getting the project to the bid status, plus the increased costs of fuel had increased the price. The price also increased because the city is upping the capacity at the treatment plant from 70,000 gallons a day to 490,000 gallons a day to cover the city's growth over the next few years. The city has $6.6 million in funding secured for the project, so an additional $1.9 million is needed from Rural Development to fund the project. Once the funding is secured, Turnipseed said the city would issue revenue bonds to cover the project. With additional building projects already on the drawing board, the additional costs would be covered, he added. The revenue bonds will be issued for 40 years, Turnipseed said. City administrator Murray McAfee said the city's first priority when the system is built will be getting the septic-challenged subdivision of Martinwood online with the sewer system. Martinwood's system failed several years ago, and the city has been pumping out the system for a number of years. "It's costing us about $750 a week," McAffee said. After Martinwood is connected, city officials will move rapidly to connect the rest of the city's existing households, he added. While city residents will not have to pay a tap fee, they will have to pay for pipe to run from the sewer line into their home, McAffee said. The city is busy lining up plumbing contractors to handle the connections. McAffee does not know what the cost will be, but said it will be worth it to the residents. "I've talked to a lot of real estate people and they all say that a house connected to sewer is worth about $3,000 more than a home with a septic tank," he said. City officials will send out information on the contractors next year when the hook-up time draws closer.
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