The city of Wilder passed a resolution to accept $400,000 from the state’s budget to build a sewer from Frederick’s Landing, which is currently a force main sewer.
Former Kentucky State Senator Wil Schroder secured the city $400,000 not as a grant but as a line item in the state’s budget. The sewer from Frederick’s Landing is a 2-inch force main sewer the city said had already had a break roughly two years ago. According to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, force main sewers may have compromised pipeline reliability due to “excessive pressure surges, corrosion or lack of routine maintenance.”
Wilder City Manager Terry Vance said they have added a lot of fill on top of the line since they put it in and is concerned it is only a matter of time before it fails completely.
“I’m still under the impression that we have to spend this by June 30 of 2024, which is the end of this biennium,” Vance said. “That’s going to put us on a pretty tight timeframe. I’m trying to work with the state and say listen, we didn’t get started right away, and so can we extend it if we need to? I’m pretty sure they’re going to do it, but I don’t have anything in writing on that yet.”
The city also has an alternate bid for the other side of Licking Pike to put a sewer up Johns Hill Road and run it over Old Licking Pike on the old gravel part of the roadway. Vance said St. John church, Davis Landscaping and the house going up Johns Hill Road on the left do not have sewer. Vance said another house is being built in the vicinity, and the owners have a holding tank permit in the hope that this sewer will be implemented in the next two years.
“I’m hoping it will be built in the next six months, but we revised the engineer’s estimates recently, and I am a little bit worried that the estimates have come in much higher than they were,” Vance said.
He said they may have to cut some things back to meet the original estimate, which was $400,000 and is now $550,000. He said the city is anticipating not contributing money to the project but has $150,000 in its capital budget approved in July should they need it.
The project is into the fine details now, like tree replacements, clearing and guard rail replacements. Vance said if they can get city staff to do those types of things, it may help cut costs. He said they could also cut out the alternate bid to save costs.
“You’ll probably notice Terry’s name on there as the project manager,” Wilder Mayor Valerie Jones said. “In the paperwork sent to the city, we were able to delegate that responsibility, and it only made sense to make that, Terry.”
The city still needs to officially put the project out to bid. Vance anticipates that it will be done by March 1. One Wilder council member questioned the timeline of bidding for the project in March and starting the build in June to meet the June 30 deadline.
“Since this is not a grant in the true sense, I’m thinking that since it’s a direct budgeted item that any point that we’ve got a contract underway and have spent some money, I think they may release the funds to us,” Vance said. “I just don’t want to lose the opportunity for $400,000.”
