PUB reverses course on federal grant
Trending
PARKERSBURG -- The Parkersburg Utility Board manager has once again recommended avoiding a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers grant to extend sewer service in the Marrtown Road area.
The $3.2 million grant was awarded earlier this year, and PUB Manager Eric Bennett advised against using it due to the requirement of a $1.1 million local match that could not include other federal money and a short timeframe in which to put the project out to bid. When some of those guidelines changed over the summer, he said the utility could consider the grant again.
But during the board's last regular meeting of the year Tuesday, Bennett told board members "the numbers just don't work."
The total cost of the project, which would extend service to about 45 customers just west of U.S. 50 outside of Parkersburg, is $3.8 million, Bennett said. That's less than the award amount and required local match, but those funds could not be used for things like engineering services and right of way acquisition, meaning more money would need to come from the PUB.
Instead, Bennett said, the utility will go back to his previous recommendation of using a $2.5 million federal Environmental Protection Agency Congressionally directed spending grant with a $650,000 local match. That had been intended to fund a second project in the Marrtown area to provide sewer service to about 25 customers around Hill Avenue. But Bennett said the utility can pursue Small Cities Block Grant funding through the county and state instead.
Bennett said the intention for both products is to get as much funding through grants as possible.
The utility will need about $1.3 million to cover its local match and the remaining costs, which Bennett expects to be able to get through a state program to provide matching funds for Congressionally directed spending.