The Town of Bourbon may be looking to replace its water treatment plant. Water/Wastewater Superintendent Steve Stacy recently told the town council that the current equipment is getting worn out.
“The water plant needs some improvements,” he said. “It’s 1965. Most of the stuff in it, the main stuff, is original.”
Wessler Engineering has recommended starting over with a brand new building and new equipment, which is estimated to cost as much as $3 million. Council President Ward Byers hopes at least half of that could be covered with money from the State Water Infrastructure Fund (SWIF). Whether or not the town would have to borrow money or raise rates still has to be determined.
“It’s nothing that anybody wants to raise anybody’s rates and we don’t want to spend a lot of money,” Byers said, “but here’s the thing: this thing was built in 1965, and it has had absolutely no attention paid to it, in regards to major repairs. It’s been crisis management for the last many years.”
As a first step, the town council approved a $280,000 contract with Wessler to create an engineering plan. Byers said the bulk of that could be covered by the remainder of Bourbon’s American Rescue Plan money.
