Ongoing sewer improvements in Cleveland, Tennessee, got a $10.8 million boost this week from a state loan.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner David Salyers announced the loan this past week. It comes from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Loan Program and is aimed at infiltration and inflow corrections within Cleveland’s sewer collection system, officials said.
The loan has a 20-year term at 0.73% interest. Greg Clark, Cleveland Utilities’ manager of wastewater collections, said that rate was less than half the rate the city got on another $10 million program loan in 2018.
“Typically what we’ve done is, we get a $10 million loan and inside of that we’ll typically perform three rehabilitation projects with that money,” Clark said Thursday. “Each year we’ll bid a contract somewhere in the vicinity of $3 million to $3.5 million, just depending on how the work plays out until we utilize all those funds.”
The loan will fund work along South Ocoee Street and in the Dalton Pike area of South Cleveland, along with additional improvements near Bowman Hills off of North Ocoee Street, Clark said. Some streets north of the Bowman Hills area also will see some improvements, he said.