Charles City School Board sends MOU to county leaders regarding regional wastewater treatment plant
Charles City County’s School Board is extending an olive branch to county leaders on the possibility of a regional wastewater treatment plant.
Director of School Operations Jerome Tyler read a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to school board members at the Feb. 20 regular school board meeting.
The possibility of a regional wastewater plant first came to light at a March 2022 meeting. With both the county and school facilities needing upgrades to their individual plants, a presentation was made by Charles City County Administrator Michelle Johnson to address the issue. At that time, Johnson’s presentation pointed out that a stand-alone treatment plant for the school would carry a $1.45 million price tag, while the county administration building’s plant would come in at $2.26 million. The regional wastewater treatment plant would cost $3.085 million, with a pegged total of $5,854,162 if it was financed over a 25-year period.
In May 2022, school board members had questions about the proposed wastewater plants, including the location and how it would affect school facilities. Ownership of the operations and plant were also questioned, leading to Tyler commenting back then about how it would save the school money.
The proposed regional wastewater treatment plant would cover the Courthouse Area, which encompasses parts of Lott Cary Road, Courthouse Road, and John Tyler Memorial Highway. The regional plant’s original plan was to service the Charles City Government and Administration Building, the school system, and planned development that would be constructed across the road from the current school building.
With the Department of Environment Quality (DEQ) putting deadlines for the plants to be upgraded, Tyler spoke at the Feb. 20 meeting, resurrecting dialogue of a proposed MOU that had been discussed in the past.
According to the MOU, the school would transfer property to the county for construction of the regional plant, which they would deem as surplus. The county would conduct land surveys, cover the cost of maintaining the facility, oversee the construction and operations of facility while sharing the plans with the school board, conduct feasibility studies with the school board, minimize any disruption to daily operations of the school board, and repair any damages conducted to the school’s property. The MOU also calls for the county to repay the school system $141,585.55 in reimbursement fees for the designing and drawing of the proposed plant. Finally, the school is not to incur cost for connection fees or usage fees for connecting to the regional plant.
After reading the MOU, Charles City Superintendent of Schools Dalphine Joppy indicated that she will forward the information to Johnson to share with the county’s board of supervisors and receive feedback.