By DAVE SCHULTZ
The board of the Wells County Regional Sewer District signed on to a financing package that will bring sanitary sewers to Kingsland.
The project has a $4 million price tag, with most of that covered by grants and loans from the State Revolving Fund through the Indiana Finance Authority.
It’s the third project of its type, following the work in the Liberty Center and Murray areas and the Craigville area. Construction on the Liberty Center and Murray project is completed, with individual property owners needing to connect to the collection system. Construction on the Craigville project is in progress.
Mark Burry, the RSD’s attorney, walked the board members present — Leon Berning, Mike Mossburg, Jon Oman, and Bruce Stinson (Andy Stoller was absent) — through the acceptance of a rate study, the bond ordinance, and the rate ordinance.
Burry said he expected closing on the SRF financing next month. A pre-closing conference should be held by the end of November, he said.
The RSD’s plans have been subject to twists and turns. The Kingsland project has been considered “a double amputee,” Burry said, as Craigville, Kingsland, and Tocsin were supposed to be financed and built at the same time. However, Kingsland and Tocsin were cut off from Craigville and then Tocsin was cut off from Kingsland. There just wasn’t enough money available from the state.
The RSD has been working to keep the cost of the project down so the rates paid by property owners would be $95 a month — what it is for Liberty Center and Murray and what it will be for Craigville. It’s been done, but it’s been close.
“Rates under $100 for sewer projects are really kind of rare,” Burry said.
The Liberty Center-Murray project drew in $6 million in state money while the Craigville project drew in $5 million. The final cost of the Kingsland project is $4,072,580, with some of that money being leftover from the previous projects.
The meeting opened with public comments, and Roger Nash — a man with experience with the Army Corps of Engineers — was the first person to speak. He had previously spoken in opposition to the RSD’s projects, and voiced his objection to what’s planned for Kingsland.
“It’s a faulty design to start with,” he said, “and to use the law to threaten to take someone’s land for your equipment — King George would be very proud of you. … You need to stop and consider what you’re doing and see if there are much less expensive choices.”
Richard Jackson, who lives in the Murray area, wanted some explanation as to certain legal points, and A.J. Springer pointed out that the legal adds described the project as being for Kingsfield, not Kingsland.
“Obviously, it’s a typo,” Burry said, expressing his regret for the error. Wells County Engineer Nate Rumschlag, who’s been advising the RSD along the way, noted that the legal description of the property involved indicates Kingsland.
Larry Foreman, who lives 600 feet away from the sewer line, said he’d connect but the district will cover the cost for 300 feet. He said it was bad business for the RSD to cover some sewer connections but to make him pay for the extra 300 feet himself.
The RSD meeting Monday was a special session to get the paperwork moving on the Kingsland project. The board will meet again Nov. 14, as the second Monday of the month is its standard meeting night.
daves@news-banner.com
