City projects
Rockmart’s City Council approves extended work on the Highway 101 Sewer Lift Station
The Rockmart city council has given the green light for continuing with a sewer lift project to bring added capacity for existing or future industry in Highway 101 Park.
The group recently met with Tammy Decker, Georgia Rural Water Association, to discuss and approve a “letter of conditions” for proposed grant funds.
The $ 350,000 Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant will provide money to replace and relocate the existing sewer lift station in the local industrial park.
A total of $ 95,000 in local money will be used in the 70/30 ARC grant, according to City Manager Jeff Ellis.
He said the expenditure would have no impact on the current operating budget.
Ellis said the engineer would prepare bid documents for the project, which is expected to take 45 to 60 days. Thereafter, a construction contract will be awarded and work should begin immediately.
The work will enhance sewer service in the dual rail 101 Park, which has available land for industrial prospects.
It is home to sev- eral plants – Vulcan, Nordic Cold Storage, Muira Boilers, Jefferson Southern and others plus the Georgia Northwestern Technical College.
Currently, there are three sites – 8, 13 and 22 acres - remaining in the 101 Park. Ellis said the three are available for prospects seeking smaller plots of land. “It would great for a plant that does not need large acreage,” he said.
Ellis also said G Ben Turnipseed Engineers, Inc. of Atlanta is currently designing a $3.5 million upgrade at the Rockmart Waste Treatment plant, the first in more than 20 years.
“We should go to bid in early fall,” Ellis said. “The project would have a nine month build time frame. It is scheduled for completion by October 2015.”
The Georgia Environmental Finance Authority ( GEFA) will fund the project, according to Ellis.
“It will enhance service provided at the wastewater plant, but we will gain no additional capacity,” he said.
Additionally, Ellis reported that work continues at the new sports complex site despite adverse weather conditions during the spring and early summer.