Although it was learned early this month that the long awaited improvements to the water system to the Duvall Valley and other areas of eastern Clinton County was a lock, the city put some finishing touches on that $6.8 million project last week.
During a brief special called meeting last Tuesday, August 8, Albany City Council, with five of six members present, approved a resolution accepting the final piece of funding for the major project, which is currently expected to get under construction in a matter of weeks.
During the one-item special meeting last week, the council, on a motion by Junior Gregory, approved a resolution “to accept the grant offer in the amount of $400,000 for the project to be administered by USDA Rural Development as a part of the Duvall Valley Improvements.”
Two days later, Thursday morning, August 10, the project was finalized, as according to Albany Mayor Steve Lawson, several final documents pertaining to the project were signed by various agencies at City Hall.
The project, which will take several months or possibly over a year to complete, will see new, more accommodating sized lines installed, as well as a storage tank and other work related to the improvements.
The project totals $6,837,338 and is being funded by both loans and grants applied for and eventually approved.
The breakdown includes loans of $2.5 and $3 million from KIA and AML, respectively, and grants of $400,000 from USDA and $937,338 from Cleaner Water Grants.
The problem of low water pressure and sometimes being without water for extended periods in some areas of that region have been ongoing for several years.
The new lines and other improvements will hopefully solve those problems for residents in several communities in the eastern section of the county.
The only other issue to take up prior to actual construction beginning is a pre-construction meeting that is scheduled to be held with Monarch Engineers and project contractors. That meeting is set for this Thursday, August 17, at 10 a.m. at City Hall.
According to information provided at the council’s regular meeting on August 1, construction on the Duvall Valley project is expected to begin in early September. No estimated time for completion was given.
The City of Albany, through its engineers, continue working on other water and/or sewer related projects that will hopefully have a positive impact on the overall water system, as well as the economy for Albany and Clinton County.
Those projects include major improvements to the Albany Water treatment facility and attempts to obtain funding sources to lay water lines along the U.S. 127 Bypass to Hwy. 738 (Wolf River Dock Road), among others.
The next regular meeting of Albany City Council is scheduled for Tuesday, September 5, at 5 p.m. in the conference room at Albany City Hall and is open to the public.