City of Irvine will gain 460 customers with sewer extension project
IMU Operational Manager Bee Williams announced an agreement with the Estill County Water District during Monday night’s Irvine City Council meeting that will settle the lawsuit filed several months ago.
The City of Irvine will become the single wastewater and collection agency for the county customers on the sewer line if funding comes through as expected.
The city will apply with the USDA Rural Utility Service, Rural Development, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and for a Community Development Block Grant, as well as for other sources, for funding of the Wisemantown Sewer Extension Project.
Williams said that IMU will then assume the waste water collection and treatment of approximately 460 customers, with the potential to provide for 250 other households, when the sewer line extension in the Wisemantown and Dark Hollow neighborhoods is completed. The extension will end around the old Blue Banks grocery.
Grant monies are available that would pay 80 percent of a 3.8 million dollar project, leaving IMU with a remainder of $900,000 to pay back, he said.
“They [the grants] will be ours, but we have to act pretty fast,” said Williams. He said applications must be filed by August 1 to get the money, and he needed a resolution from the city council before he could apply for the grants.
The council accepted a resolution to apply for the grant. Williams said the project would also redo some existing small lines, and it will eventually get rid of most of the septic tanks in the area.
“This is a great project,” said Williams in a later interview. “This will eliminate a lot of straight pipes and a treatment plant.” He also pointed out that it will be easier to attract industry with a more efficient sewage system.
In other business, several citizens came to Monday night’s meeting to question zoning boundaries and subsequent taxes on land near Kirkland Avenue and the golf course.
Harold Calmes addressed the council about property he had bought in 1963 or 64 on which he had never been asked to pay city taxes until recently.
Calmes said, “It is strange to me…somebody brings it up, and they want us to pay taxes.”
City Attorney Rodney Davis said he has spoken to the Secretary of State who is supposed to pull the old map information from the archives, but he has not received that information yet.
Danny Click, an owner of land near Kirkland Ave., said he wonders what city ordinances he and others could be subjected to if the property is determined to be within city limits.
Attorney Davis again assured property owners that if there is an existing non-conforming use, as in the land has been continually used as farm land for many years, it shouldn’t be subject to city ordinances.
Dwight Arvin also owns land in the area. He told the council he too had owned land there since 1963 and had never received a [city] tax bill before.
Davis clarified that planning and zoning laws should not affect the PVA’s assessment of farm land.
In the mayor’s report, Farmer reported that there has been another successful cruise-in in town,. One is also being planned to raise money to benefit the Estill County Middle School. The date for that cruise-in is July 20.
The council also approved a Hospice Color Blaze 5K to take place in the city on Oct. 25.
Joe Crawford attended the council meeting to make his regular report on behalf of the Estill Development Alliance.
He said the Chamber of Commerce is now helping with the “Revive River Drive” event that has become “a little too big for a few moms to handle.”
Crawford also urged the city to create an online web presence. He reported on progress with creating ATV trails and emphasized that land owners can enter into an agreement with the state so that the land owner is not held liable in case of injury or death if they wish to allow access to trails on their land.
The renewal contract between the city and the EDA was also signed at the meeting. Crawford said it was exactly the same except for different dates.
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IMU and county to settle lawsuit
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