Harrisville water project moving forward

BY JD LONG (jim@harrisonnewsherald.com)

CADIZ—Bob Allen and Brandon Conley of E.L. Robinson Engineering appeared before the Harrison County Commissioners last Wednesday to receive approval for Agreement 46-21, a long-awaited advancement for wastewater treatment plant improvements in Harrisville.

Conley told the board they’d received documentation regarding the bonds where the contractor had “partially executed it.” The commissioners approved of the agreement. “You are fully executing the contracts here,” Conley said as part of a project update. He added that a preconstruction conference would follow later Wednesday, and contracts would begin on Sept. 6 with progress reports to follow for the next three months. “Really looking at construction, my gut feeling [is] February,” Conley explained while citing Border Patrol as the contractor.

Allen then changed topics to provide an update on Bowerston’s water and sewer project. He stated an application had been sent to the EPA for a waterline extension, which involved service areas of interest.

“With that nomination, the village got 50% principal forgiveness, which is the EPA’s term for grant, for the total project for the water,” Allen explained. Allen then added that they had later informed the EPA that there would be no extension, which led to the EPA’s rescinding of the 50% principal forgiveness “because that’s where they [Bowerston] got their health hazard points.” Allen mentioned that a recent meeting led the EPA to suggest bringing in the Rural Community Assistance Partnership.

“If we can get a few folks out there to take water off of Bowerston, that might be able to save that 50% principal forgiveness,” Allen told the board. It would equate to around $1.75 million “in grant money.” He said a public meeting is in the future but did not have a date yet.