Byrdstown is targeting an estimated $1 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to make improvements to the town’s sewer system.
Byrdstown Mayor Sam Gibson said that with major developments near Dale Hollow Lake, the town wants to upgrade a sewer pumping station so it can handle the increased amount of waste.
“It’s kind of hard to tell how quick that we would need that with those new facilities going in, but we definitely want to go ahead and get it in before those are 100 percent completed, which you are probably looking at probably three, four, five years down the road,” Gibson said.
Gibson said the contractors will be responsible for upgrading one of the other pumping stations by the lake, which will be a big help. Gibson said the town will also use the grant to make improvements at the sewer plant.
“We are not able to take RV sewer because of the chemicals that they put into them,” Gibson said. “The little porta-pots the chemicals that those take, our plant is not made to handle that type of waste, so you know, if someday we could get even a little more updated with our plant, then we could be able to handle those. And I know it’s an inconvenience for our local people to have to go to other places to dump those.”
Gibson said Byrdstown received a similar grant of an estimated $500,000 to help fund the construction of the town’s new Water Plant. Gibson said he feels like Byrdstown has a great chance to receive the grant again.
“Since we are a distressed county, we would have the 20 percent match to pay, and plus the distressed would give us a little step above a lot of the other people, because you know, they give you a little higher ranking as far as applying for grants,” Gibson said. “So we have a little better chance of receiving the grant.”
Gibson said the improvements would only be a portion of the work the sewer system needs.
“That will help us kind of keep us going,” Gibson said. “It won’t get us up to where we would like to be, but it will at least keep us going, if we are fortunate enough to get that.”
