LWA NEW WTP INFORMATIONAL MEETING
June 6, 2005
HISTORY OF THE NEW WTP PROJECT
The LWA has been looking for new water sources for the past few years. Once the new water was found and our new well was established on Eric White’s property south of the existing well field, it was time to begin the work for a new water treatment plant.
The current water treatment plant was constructed in 1969 and was designed to serve the Lakengren community for twenty-five years. The current plant has survived much longer than was designed, but is on its last leg. Thirty-six years later, the LWA Board of Trustees has moved to construct a new treatment plant that is designed to last more than fifty years.
The new WTP project was begun in 1999 as a State of Ohio Issue II possibility. The LWA was trying to qualify for low or no interest loans, as well as a grant to build the new plant. We didn’t score enough points on the state scale in the early years, but when we finally did, we were told we could not qualify because the LWA is a government entity under the auspices of Ohio Revised Code 6119.
The LWA BOT then moved to get financial assistance at the best possible interest rate. The Ohio EPA offered to finance the new WTP and worked with us to finalize all of the paperwork necessary to qualify.
The LWA BOT began to work with Strand & Associates, an engineering firm from Lancaster, Ohio, that had helped us search and locate our new water source and install the new well at the new well field, to design and build the new WTP.
After discussing what was needed and finalizing the plans for the plant, the bidding process was begun. At the first opening of the bids, all of the construction company’s bids were all over the engineer’s estimate by more than 10% for the projected cost of the plant. The LWA BOT ordered a second bidding and Brumbaugh Construction from Arcanum, Ohio, the same company that completed the spillway project for the LPOA, was the low bidder for the project at approximately $1,674,000. The Ohio EPA was notified of the bid and on April 28, 2005, the LWA qualified for the funds to build the new WTP at 2.75% interest for a twenty year period.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE PAYMENT PLAN FOR OUR CUSTOMERS
The LWA BOT began to figure what to charge for the repayment of the loan at an early date. The six dollar charge will cover the cost of the loan plus interest and will be kept in a separate account. The money will accrue interest until the first payment is made in July 2006 or January 2007. Then payments will be made semi-annually until the loan is repaid. The six dollar charge will remain in effect until enough money is in that account to pay for the plant.
FUTURE PLANS
Water and sewer rates will be increased on a regular basis in the future. Costs for repairs, fuel, maintenance, and replacement parts have increased dramatically over the years. Water usage rates have not increased since 1989; sewer rates have increased only $8 in the past five years. The combined water and sewer usage rates for Lakengren customers are the lowest in the county, according to the recent survey by the Village of West Alexandria.
The LWA BOT plans to have our operations manager Gary Wagner take a closer look at our water meters in the near future. Once the new water treatment plant is operational, the 1300 plus meters throughout the community will need to be checked for accuracy. The life of a water meter is designed for approximately 10 years. The meters in the Lakengren community were first installed in 1989 and put into operation in 1990.
This means that our older meters will need to be replaced sometime in the near future. The LWA BOT has discussed the possibility of installing radio-read meters that can be read in a matter of hours rather than the three full days it now takes. This will save man-hours and give our operators more time to work on other projects. This project could be done over a five year period; the estimated cost for this installation will probably exceed $150,000 and may be closer to $200,000.
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