GREENUP —
Greenup Mayor Lundie Meadows had some pointed questions Tuesday for two Wurtland officials about the future of that city’s wastewater treatment plant.
However, those officials — Wurtland water and sewer commissioner Tony Smith and Wayne Melvin, a former city commissioner who now serves as a liaison between the city and the contractor who operates the plant — said all they could say for certain was the facility would be undergoing changes as the result of the abrupt closure of the SunChemical Performance Pigment plant.
SunChemical was the sewer plant’s primary customer. The plant was designed by SunChemical, then known as PCI, when it was built in the 1990s but financed by the city of Wurtland, which still owes a debt service on it.
Greenup has a huge stake in the future of the plant because, after more than five years of discussing a regional sewer project, the city finally signed an agreement last year to have its wastewater piped to Wurtland for treatment, thereby creating the Greenup Joint Sewer Agency and the Greenup Waste Water District.
The initial line from Greenup to Wurtland is expected to cost $1.87 million and is being paid for with Kentucky Infrastructure Authority funds secured years ago for the project. Eventually, plans call for sewer lines to be extended into Lloyd and other unincorporated parts of the county.
Wurtland officials have said they believe treating waste water from Greenup and other communities is crucial to the massive plant’s continued viability. Greenup’s own sewer plant is aging and in need of costly repairs or replacement, hence the move to join with Wurtland.
At Tuesday’s regular meeting of the Greenup City Council, Meadows told Smith and Melvin the city had yet to sign a contract with Wurtland, and that be believed it was incumbent upon city officials to move cautiously until more is known about what the ramifications of the SunChemical closure will be, particularly with regard to rates.
“This is something that’s going to affect the citizens of Greenup for the next 25 or 30 years,” he said. “It’s important for us to know what effect (SunChemical) pulling out is going to have on rates now and in the future.”
Melvin, who acts as a liaison between Wurtland and Veolia Industrial Services, which operates the sewer plant under a contract with the city, said the primary changes to the facility would involve converting it from an industrial plant to one that primarily treats municipal waste. SunChemical, he said, pumped huge amounts of ammonia into the plant, and that flow has come to a virtual halt since the pigment plant closed.
The plant is equipped with massive blowers, which produced the amounts of air required for treating ammonia, Melvin said. With that need greatly diminished, the facility will be fitted with smaller blowers to help save on electricity, he said.
Regarding rates Greenup would be paying to have its wastewater treated at Wurtland, Melvin said it was his understanding the rates that were quoted to the city in a study were premised on the assumption SunChemical was leaving.
Meadows said it was his understanding that of the $2 million in revenue generated by the sewer plant in 2010, $1.8 million came from SunChemical. Melvin said he didn’t have financial reports with him and could not confirm nor deny the accuracy of that figure, but he said it sounded correct to him.
Melvin told the mayor he would attempt to find answers to all his questions and said he was agreeable to future meeting with Meadows and the council.
KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654.
Local News
Questions swirl about status of Wurtland facility
Greenup has huge stake in future of neighboring town's sewer plant
- Local News
-
-
19-year-old launching one-man food drive, ‘Cans for a Cause’
Never accuse Aaron Hannah of not being ambitious and failing to set high goals for himself.
Later this month, Hannah, a 19-year-old 2012 graduate of Raceland-Worthington High School, will launch what is essentially a one-man food drive. His goal: to collect at least 10,000 pounds of canned food for River Cities Harvest to distribute to local nonprofits and churches that help feed the hungry.
Hannah, who just completed his freshman year as a Bonner Scholar at Berea College, said scholars are encouraged, but not required, to do community projects designed to help the needy. -
Westwood man charged with attempted murder
A Westwood man was arrested on attempted murder charges following an incident Sunday night, according to the Ashland Police Department.
Michael L. Thompson, 38, was charged following an investigation. -
Cuts in Ashland's bus system proposed
A reduction in services is being proposed for the Ashland Bus System in the wake of federal spending cuts.
Among the changes being considered by city officials are the elimination of Saturday service and the Kenova route extension. Bus service would also be suspended on more holidays and daily service would end an hour earlier. -
$26.5M in Ky. 7 work in Elliott awarded
State transportation officials have awarded a bid worth more than $26 million to complete the fourth phase of ongoing reconstruction along Rt. 7 between Sandy Hook and the Carter County line.
“This project was being talked about even before I became a state representative 26 years ago,” said state Rep. Rocky Adkins, of Sandy Hook. Adkins said the project was a priority for his predecessor, Ray Brown, and became one of his primary concerns when he took office “because it was a priority for the people of Elliot County.” -
$27K Rolex watch reported stolen to APD
The following information was taken from Ashland Police Department reports:
-
Tuition increase on tap for community colleges
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System Board of Regents approved a 2013-14 budget of $928,704,000 during its quarterly meeting Friday.
-
Perdue presents ‘My D-Day Beach Landing’
Lowell E. Perdue has a different D-Day experience than most of the Americans who landed as part of a massive allied invasion at Normandy on June 6, 1944.
-
Beshear says date for special session to be set this week
Gov. Steve Beshear said Monday he’ll let lawmakers know sometime this week when he’ll call them into special session to once again take up legislative redistricting.
-
Attorneys argue over Medicaid lawsuit
An attorney for Gov. Steve Beshear’s administration Monday asked a Franklin Circuit Court Judge to dismiss a tea party activist’s suit challenging Beshear’s decision to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, saying the suit is premature and lacks any demonstration of particular harm to the plaintiff.
-
Campbell, Crabbe part of bornlearning program
More than a few parents of Rose Molinary’s young students at Raceland-Worthington Independent Schools never attended college and some didn’t graduate from high schools.
- More Local News Headlines
-
19-year-old launching one-man food drive, ‘Cans for a Cause’
RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled
Boeing, Airbus Battle for Sales Supremacy
NYC 911 Call Lasts for 8 Hours
Obama: US Has Helped Syrian Rebels
Afghan Forces Take Afghanistan Security Lead
Raw: 100K Protesters Flood Brazilian Streets
California Cops Cruise on Stand-up Paddle Patrol
Transgender Candidate Running in NYC
Obama: NSA Secret Data Gathering 'Transparent'
Man Who Disrupted Flight Ranted About CIA
Feds: 7-Eleven Stores Exploited Immigrants
Fla. Teen Catches Ride With Whale Shark
Iran's Rowhani Urges 'Path of Moderation'
Investigators Probe Origin of Colo. Wildfire
Ex-NFL Star Chad Johnson Out of Jail
Family Tweets Say Kim Kardashian Gives Birth
