BY KIM THOMPSON

STAFF WRITER

The smell of fresh concrete and bleach met 25-30 people who  came together on Thursday at the Howard County Regional Water Plant to celebrate the recent completion of the water plant.

Expected to begin producing water by the end of December, the regional water plant—located at 165 County Road 350 just north of New Franklin—will serve the residents of the cities of Fayette and New Franklin and the Public Water Supply District #1 of Howard County or more than 5,000 people.  In addition to the water plant, the regional water project included wells, elevated storage, and transmission lines to the three entities served by the plant. Engineers had estimated it would cost about $15.5 million. But the bids came in substantially lower at a total of $12,549,389.

Funding comes largely from the United States Department of Agriculture-Rural Development (USDA-RD) which has provided $7,442,000 in low-interest loans  (with an interest rate of 2.875 percent) and $6,455,000 in grants (total of $13,897,000). In addition, the Missouri Department of Economic Development (MDED) awarded $500,000 to each member entity of the Howard County Regional Water Commission (HCRWC)—the entity overseeing the water regionalization project—making the total from MDED $1.5 million grant.

PeopleService Inc. is contracted to operate the plant. Steve Guthrie is Plant Manager.

At the gathering on Thursday, USDA-RD Missouri Director Janie Dunning called the water plant a “beautiful facility” and a “model project.” She praised the people who worked cooperatively to make the water plant a reality. “We need to clone you,” Dunning said.

State Senator David Pearce  (21st District) said the regional water project is “a perfect example of federal, state and local governments working together.”

State Representative Dave Muntzel (48th District) commented that the regional water plant is “a foundation for economic development.”

Howard County Regional Water Commission Chair Robbey Harvey noted that the regional plant is big enough to accommodate one or more additional entities in the future.

Although not mentioned at the gathering, it is worth noting that the Water/Wastewater Ad Hoc Committee of the City of Fayette, headed by the late Dr. Larry Peery, did significant work 10 years ago toward the regional water project. They meticulously researched options for water production and opportunities for grants and low-interest loans. Then they hosted several meetings that explained various scenarios. Their work was invaluable to the regional water effort.