Story - The Meade County Messenger


Vol. 114, No. 15	April 2, 2008

Breck officials table action on proposed Meade waterline

By LARRY SEE JR.
Messenger Staff

Due to the wealth of information presented in an hour-long discussion, the Breckinridge County Fiscal Court March 24 tabled action on a proposed waterline extension.

Casting the lone dissenting vote on the matter was Magistrate Joe O’Donoghue. He questioned whether or not additional meetings would be held to discuss the issue.

Breckinridge County Judge Executive Ray Powers said he would discuss the issue and attend whatever meetings he needed to do to research the matter.

The matter is expected to be addressed during the court’s April 14 meeting.

The extension, which will serve about 21 residents along three miles, will allow the Meade County Water District to not “dead-end,” at the county line.

When dead-ended, officials have to frequently empty water to prevent stagnation.

Powers started off the discussion by saying he had “never stood in the way of anyone having good water.”

Since Breckinridge County doesn’t have a water district, the city of Hardinsburg approached the county about extending water outside the city limits in 1979, Powers said.

Powers also took offense at remarks he was stealing city water.

“These are our water customers,” he said. “They are not the county and not the city. They are the city and the county both.”

Powers said state officials offered funding for a waterline extension to the industrial park and a joint governmental group formed to facilitate the process.

“I am hoping the city and the county can keep the lines of communication open,” Powers said. According to Powers, neighboring counties have the right to extend waterlines into adjoining counties.

Both officials claimed if either proposal fails, their projects could be in jeopardy.

“We as Breckinridge County officials need to work this out in the quickest timeframe,” Powers said. “We need to work this out through a compromise with a necessary plan that would please all and could set a precedent for future projects.

Meade County Water District general manager Joe Bartley said project construction could take a year and a half, adding fall bids were sought.

City of Hardinsburg water plant manager, David Wakefield, said they were operating on the same timeframe.

He said there is a waterline proposed from Stephensport to the Meade County line, causing the divisive issue.

“When you borrow money for a project you have got to meet the cash flow,” Wakefield said. “The city of Hardinsburg will not be able to meet that ratio of debt to revenue. Hardinsburg feels like it is their territory, as others do.”

Wakefield said with the proposed loop it would benefit future customers.

Wakefield said their plans were ready to proceed, adding they didn’t want to see residents` money leave the county.

Bartley said when the Meade project was started in 2007, he discussed the matter with city officials, who expressed no dissatisfaction.

“This is going to be a tremendous boost for our county water system,” he said. “There is nothing territorial about this on our part. We’re just trying to get the best possible water system that we can.”

“In order to do that we need to loop the system,” he continued. “It provides better flow and pressure. I understand the city has four dead ends in their system.”

Wakefield acknowledged if they constructed a main, it would dead end. He indicated, after questioning from Magistrate Charles Hay, the Stephensport project had potential for 200 customers.

“We’re going to hook up everyone we can,” Wakefield said, adding that was part of the criteria.

“Every house we pass, if they want water, we’re going to hook them up. We need every customer we can get to pay for the project,” Wakefield said.

He said this line would supply water to Irvington..

Both project costs were projected at $3 million.

Bartley said officials have three alternate routes, with one stopping at the county line. Depending on the price, the alternates might be utilized.

Wakefield said Meade County officials expressed interest in purchasing water, adding he was pursuing an interceptor pipe for the flows.

Later, according to Wakefield, that proposal was removed and the waterline extension surfaced.

“They sent me a map with no road labels on it at all,” Wakefield said. “They never said anything had changed. We were not clear how it had changed based on their map and we had no other map until this past February.”

Bartley said the possibility of purchasing water was an option in the district’s 20-year plan.

“That was part of our 20-year plan,” he reiterated. “Never, ever was there an agreement made to purchase water from the city.”

Bartley said the district has plenty of water to meet capacity. Although they don’t need additional supply now, he didn’t rule out that possibility in the future.

Bartley added, as a good neighbor, they were asked by Hardinsburg officials to endorse their request for the Lincoln Trails Area Development District, which they did.

“We did say in that letter, which he has a copy of, that we might be interested in purchasing water at a later date,” Bartley said.

“That is all a moot point,” Wakefield said. “All I want to say is we want to keep the money in Breckinridge County. We also have a 20-year plan as well, which is going to be completed in about two weeks.”

Bartley said the grant request didn’t include the area where the Meade line is proposed. He said the grant was resubmitted, a fact confirmed by LTADD representative Ashley Willoughby.

“There were a couple different projects,” Willoughby said. “One did have KY 376 and the later one did have KY 144 on it.”

Bartley said state Rural Development officials have endorsed the Meade project, sending it to the federal level.

“If the loop isn’t in it, the project is going to stop and they are going to review the entire project,” Bartley said. “They aren’t going to endorse the project with that question mark hanging there.”

Wakefield said their project is awaiting an environmental review.

“We want to bring water to the people,” Meade County Judge Executive Harry Craycroft said. “We’re not interested as much in the customers. We want water and Breckinridge County wants water. I have two Court members here who I think will back me up on this.”

Also attending were Magistrates Tony Staples and Randall Hardesty and water board chairman Doug Cornett.

Powers said due to the facts involved, he wanted to bring everyone together to discuss the issue.

He added if the county didn’t move forward with the project, it could jeopardize the Stephensport plans.

“I also found it odd as a water system manager I wasn’t invited to these public meetings,” Wakefield said. “I should have been a part of that and I wasn’t aware of any public meetings.”

Bartley said later the sense he got from the meeting was the Breckinridge County Fiscal Court wanted to serve the people and do the right thing .

“We have the right solution and want to do the right thing,” Bartley said. “And I think we’ll be able to proceed with this.”

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