By Ryan Lewis
Correspondent
KIMBALL, Tenn. – Marion County’s regional wastewater treatment facility project still has a green light after the latest meeting with the state and local officials involved.
The plan was put in jeopardy after news that the property set aside for the plant in Jasper, Tenn., couldn’t be used because it’s a wetland and the requirement of a piece of equipment called a diffuser, which will add an estimated $850,000 to $1 million to the overall $9.1 million price tag.
South Pittsburg officials also threatened to pull out of the deal over a dispute with Kimball over payment on the remaining debt on their current sewage treatment plant. South Pittsburg officials say Kimball should be responsible for the debt.
After the meeting, however, everyone is back on board, officials said.
“We’ve still got an issue that we’ve got to work out with the city of South Pittsburg,” Kimball Mayor David Jackson said. “We’re going to try and get that resolved in the next couple of weeks. We’re going to try to do everything we can to make this work.”
Kimball Alderman Mark Payne said the issue with South Pittsburg can be resolved.
“By no means is it an insurmountable issue,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a project killer. I could be wrong.”
Payne said he’s talked to engineers about the cost of a sewer treatment plant that would service only Kimball, and they estimated $8-$10 per gallon in construction expenses.
“If you build a half-million-gallon plant, you’re looking at the $5 million range,” he said. “That’s a tremendous amount of money. You’d have to pass that on to the customer base. I’d be scared to even guess at the number. It would cripple our businesses. We’ve got a real good reason to try and work together on this.”
Jackson said Renewable Fuels of Maryville, Tenn., has agreed to sell land needed for the treatment plant.
“The next part of the process is trying to get this property appraised,” he said. “Then, we’ll try to get some deal with Renewable Fuels to purchase the property. It’s probably going to be cheaper to buy this property than to try and mitigate the wetlands.”
Jasper Mayor Billy Simpson said a study on endangered species, which will cost about $6,500, will have to be done along with the property appraisal.
“Kimball [officials] stepped up and said they would pay these extra expenses that have come up,” he said.
Jasper attorney Zach Kelly, who will act as negotiator between Renewable Fuels and the three cities, said the recent meeting was reassuring.
“It sounded encouraging to me,” he said. “I was expecting to go [to the meeting] and see the project come to an end.”
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.