News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Martin’s Creek and Spring Fork Creek areas, a step closer to public water following an ARP grant of $3.64 million from the state Wednesday.
Jackson County Mayor Randy Heady and Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter worked jointly to make the project happen. Heady said the money’s now approved and the project went out to bid earlier this week.
“There are several people that own property down there that are unable to get water, the wells always come up dry or bad water,” Heady said. “And so now we’re going to get a chance to put a water line down there and that’s going to help the property value down there because right now, people on that property can’t build a house because they don’t have good fresh water.”
Two utilities, the Double Springs Utility District and the Jackson County Utility District, will actually own the new infrastructure and handle the project going forward. Heady said he believes the state liked the joint project.
“We thought that was what would really make our project even stronger and I think it’s one of the reasons that we got to we got approved so quickly unlike some of the others did,” Heady said.
Heady said the Big Branch Road will also be impacted by the project. Heady said he hopes to have enough money to also include Sycamore Hollar.
The money will also be used to rehab two water tanks owned by Jackson Utility District.
Heady said long before COVID and American Rescue Plan funding became available, he got a call about trying to work together on this project.
“Randy Porter, when I first was elected in my first term, and Randy came to me and he says, ‘just do me a favor and we ever get an opportunity to put water down Martin’s Creek, would you help me do that?’ and I said, ‘Sure.’” Heady said. “I would never be able to get a CDBG or ARC waterline extension grant.”
As you get into providing public water to the more rural areas, Heady said the infrastructure costs become too burdensome to move forward.
“There’s no way that a utility district can go out and borrow, for instance, three and a half million dollars, even two of them, and then pay for the depreciation and pass that on to the customer,” Heady said. “There’s no way that the water could be affordable right now.”
Bids will be back from potential contractors in six weeks.
