By Ryan Lewis
Correspondent
SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. – As the proposal to build a regional wastewater treatment facility in Marion County gains momentum, the individual municipalities must agree to work together.
That’s not always been easy in a county where sports rivalries have been known to cause as much political turmoil as they do gridiron chaos.
At the April meeting of the South Pittsburg Board of Mayor and Commissioners, officials approved Resolution 892, which authorized the town’s participation in the regional facility plan.
South Pittsburg Mayor Mike Killian said board members approved the measure with their eyes wide open.
“I realize that there will be some uneasiness with this,” he said. “Our romance with Jasper and Kimball has not always been the best. It has been rocky to put it mildly.”
“I don’t think there will be any problems if we can forget about football,” Commissioner Charles Reynolds said. “That’s always the cause of problems in this county.”
Jasper aldermen voted unanimously last week to endorse plans for the facility. They also approved a resolution to seek up to $2.6 million to contribute to Jasper’s portion of the project.
“I think this could be the best thing to come along for us in a long time,” Mayor Billy Simpson said. “Everyone is on board.”
Kimball officials are set to vote on the measure this month.
“Things are going smoothly,” said Kimball Mayor David Jackson. “It’s a great opportunity for us to work together. You never know. This could be a starting point for us to work together on other things as well. This has gone very smoothly so far.”
Marion County commissioners voted in February to apply for a $500,000 grant toward the regional plant. In March, they voted to create a board that would govern the regional authority.
Currently, South Pittsburg’s treatment facility handles sewage from Kimball, New Hope and South Pittsburg. A plant in Jasper serves Whitwell, Powells Crossroads and Jasper.
The regional wastewater facility initiative would save South Pittsburg about $1 million and would remove the dilapidated existing plant on Highway 72, officials said.
Mr. Killian said some citizens are afraid that a new regional facility will mean higher rates.
“It’s really a moot point,” he said. “We’re going to pay more for sewage treatment no matter what we do. Everybody I talk to from the state level on says that’s the way it’s going to go.”
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.