In what are the first steps toward the construction of a new wastewater and sewer treatment plant for the community, Cadiz City Council members made two motions Tuesday night— allowing the installation of flow meters on many of the 17 lift stations, and the seeking of procurement for down-the-road labor and contracting.
Frank Williams, of Ronald Johnson & Associates and the city/county engineer, made it clear; this is going to be a long and drawn-out process.
And much like other communities this size across the Commonwealth, Williams noted Cadiz has “miles of old clay lines” serving as the main sewer skeletal structure — all of which is leading to lift stations that are struggling to meet demands.
Even more confounding, Williams noted it’s currently hard to discern which stations are effective, and which ones aren’t.
Cities like Greenville and Albany, Williams added, are currently going through this painstaking process of a complete rework — staring at multi-million-dollar efforts.
However, Williams further noted it was important for Cadiz officials to keep this project in “the back of everyone’s minds,” and to get ahead now.
Alongside Williams for this discussion was Timothy Gilliam of Commonwealth Engineers. Stationed in Bowling Green, he is Kentucky’s business development manager for the company — responsible for building client relationships across the state, while connecting funding sources to municipalities.
A proclaimed specialist in water and wastewater development and construction, Gilliam said their job in this portfolio would be to get this project as close to “shovel ready” as possible, before bringing possible federal, state and regional grant dollars to the table into passthroughs like the Pennyrile Area Development District, the Trigg County Fiscal Court or other means.
Williams relayed that Cadiz could be a “strong candidate” for some level of financial assistance based on several criteria, including location, demographics, need, potential economic development and more, while Gilliam added that “persistence” with state and federal legislators plays a large part in the procurement process.
Procurement, Gilliam said, costs Cadiz little-to-nothing — but is usually required in the state and federal grant process, and allows for a company like Commonwealth to be “aggressive” in the search for capital.
In related news, Public Works Director Craig Oakley confirmed that the long-running installation of new sewer line along the Rail Trail and Lafayette Street — just behind The Way Christian Youth Center and the Trigg County School District — is complete.
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