The Centralia City Council Monday night was told work continues towards a new water treatment plant. Andy Curry of Curry and Associates says plans are underway to have the water plant operators visit other plants to look at chemical feed systems to see which would be best for Centralia. They are also working with EFI of Centralia on development of some of the other equipment that will be used at the plant. Curry reported once crops are harvested in four or five weeks, soil borings will be completed that are needed for borings to be made for new water lines to be installed under the railroad tracks. The next step will then be building design.
Curry reported a package of documents will be delivered to city hall by the end of the week that will provide the documents needed to seek a low interest loan for the plant.
“It’s going to take several months to get through and they won’t make any decisions until around May of next year as far as the status of those approvals for the loans. However in the next several months it will be my recommendation that we get a group of folks from the city and go up and meet with the IEPA folks and discuss the importance of this project and see what kind of favorable terms the city is able to get.”
The city is also seeking grant dollars to help pay for the $25-million dollar plant.
City resident Vernell Burris was critical that talk of the new water plant has gone on for 20 years without a plant being built. But Mayor Bryan Kuder responded this council has only been seated for a little over a year and has already made more progress than any time in the past.
