USDA Rural Development approves $414,000 grant, low-interest loan to cement financial package for major Gallatin project.
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At long last… sewer improvements to become reality
A major improvement in Gallatin’s sewer system is expected to become reality. Formal announcement of a $414,000 grant and an additional $1,285,000 loan through federal funds allocated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development was issued last week.
These new additional funds, added to state CDBG funding and bonds approved by voters in 1997, revives the city’s plans to extend service to all households within the city limits and renovate the existing wastewater treatment facility.
The overall scope of the project now exceeds $2 million with grant funds totaling $814,000. The balance is being financed over a 30-year loan. Actual construction could begin as soon as September. Sewer service will be provided to 111 homes scattered throughout the city but generally clustered in five neighborhoods.
Residents in some neighborhoods, such as those living in the Trimm Addition next to the golf course, have actively sought sewer service for decades. Chances for success seemed brightest when state approved $400,000 in CDBG grant money and voters passed a sewer bond issue in 1997. At that time improvement plans included designs for a 3-cell lagoon to be located north of town. But plans went dormant as Gallatin weathered through serious financial difficulties.
About a year ago Gallatin aldermen revived the project by selecting a new engineering firm and by searching for additional new funding. Plans redrafted by Midland Engineering of Maryville eliminated the idea of constructing lagoons and outline significant changes and improvements at the existing treatment plant. Besides updating equipment, an additional clarifier will be constructed assure that Gallatin’s plant will meet state water quality requirements.
Improvements also will correct surface water penetration which affects the plant’s effectiveness, including the replacement of some main water lines leading into the treatment plant.
City Administrator Jason Helton says that if the paperwork advances as expected, the bid process should conclude by August. Actual construction could begin as early as September. The construction period is expected to last a year due to the size and variety of improvements.
“Without USDA Rural Develop assistance with federal grant money and long term financing, we couldn’t provide this type of sewer service to these residents who really need it,” says Mr. Helton. “Without this additional money, we couldn’t move forward.”
Since this new funding is from federal sources, the announcement confirming the new funding came from the office of U.S. Senator Kit Bond. He is chairman of the VA/HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee.
“I commend Mayor Davis and the Gallatin city officials who have delivered for their community,” Bond says. “I have been committed to making sure the voice of rural Missouri are heard in Washington — and this example the leaders of Gallatin have showcased inspires me to work even harder.”