Cole County voters in favor of $5M waterworks system revenue bond

Cole County voters on Tuesday voted in favor of a $5 million waterworks system revenue bond for Public Water Supply District No. 4 during a special election.

The money will be used to extend and improve the district’s water system and cover the costs to acquire land and right-of-way as well as the maintenance of new equipment.

In 2015, the district asked its consulting engineer, Bartlett and West, to develop a master plan to evaluate the district’s history, as well as review present and future needs, water district manager Will Humphrey said.

“It’s kind of a forecast of needs for the district, and they identified some spots for improvements,” Humphrey said. “Some of them are new lines in general, connecting to existing lines to make a loop that allows redundancies in the system. Some of them are just replacing old lines that are 40-50 years old.”

When the district began in 1966, small lines in the 2- and 3-inch size met the district’s needs. Now, district officials said, significantly larger lines are required to meet present and future water needs along with providing better fire service in the district.

Bond funding will provide the district with a lower interest rate versus funding projects through more expensive means, Humphrey said. Even if the measure had been rejected, the district could still seek the funding, just at a higher interest rate.

No major water rate increases are foreseen at this time, district officials have said.

The district’s master plan said the proposed improvements would benefit residents in the areas of: Bode Ferry Road, Marina Road/ Riverfront Drive, Old Shamrock Road, Gesina Drive, Schoolview Road, Big Meadows Road, Route Y, Liberty Road, Route J and Stoney Gap Road.

“The district is just trying to keep the district in shape moving down the road,” Humphrey said. “Every day a line’s in the ground getting older, and there just needs to be a plan to replace it and upgrade it.”

Cole County voters in two precincts voted during the special election. It passed 67.78 percent to 32.22 percent. Of 3,060 registered voters, there were 90 total ballots.