Hornersville hosts public forum on proposed $1.7m waste water bond issue

Mayor Richard Mara, center, discusses the issues of not passing a proposed bond issue for the new Hornersville waste water treatment facility. Also pictured are, from left, Palladian Consulting Engineers representatives Robert Garegnami and Wade Morse, and Missouri Department of Natural Resources representative Bradley Ledbetter. Staff photo by George Anderson

HORNERSVILLE, Mo. -- A special Town Hall meeting was held at the Hornersville Community Building on Thursday evening as a way to provide more information on a proposed $1.7 million bond issue to fund the city's new waste water treatment facility. The bond was proposed during the city's meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 19.

Approximately 10 citizens attended the meeting to hear Mayor Richard Mara's explanation of why the bond needed to pass. Also on hand were Wade Morse and Robert Garegnani of Palladian Consulting Engineers, and Bradley Ledbetter of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Mara opened the event by welcoming those in attendance, adding that he had hoped for a larger turnout.

As he began to explain the issues surrounding the current waste water facility, Mara read a letter from the DNR that was sent to the city in August 2006.

According to the letter, during a review by DNR to the renewal of the city's State Operating Permit, it was discovered that the city's current facility "has exceeded its design life."

The letter informed the city to hire a professional engineer to prepare a report that evaluates the facility against the current state guidelines.

The letter went on to say that if it was determined that a new facility was needed, the city would have until December 2008 to submit a construction application and until December 2009 to complete the construction of the facility. The city is currently in default of those deadlines.

"[The city] took action after I became mayor," Mara said. "We were looking to upgrade the lagoon by the deadline."

Mara said in 2007, the City of Cardwell hosted a meeting to discuss building a four-city waste water facility that would take care of the needs of Cardwell, Hornersville, Arbyrd, and Senath.

"They thought it would be best served if they could come together," Mara said.

The mayor said as the city's began to look into the project, it was decided that it was not financially feasible to construct such a facility.

"We decided to go on our own, as did the other towns," Mara said. "We chose Palladian Engineering and they have started to take care of the process.

"We are looking to do this as cheaply as we can, but to take us through the next 30 years. This is going to be a long and complicated deal."

Mara said the city's current lagoon is a single-cell, non-aerated lagoon that was built in the mid 1950's.

"There are hardly any systems that are still in operation from 1956," Mara said. "Everybody around here has had a newer system since we have had our first one."

Mara said with the new standards, the water discharged from the lagoon has to be cleaner.

"It has to have more settling," Mara said. "It has to have more bacteria activity before it gets to the outflow. This old system is a single-cell. It can't meet that."

Mara said the city is looking at a three-cell lagoon with a divider that will allow a longer retention time, enabling the water to meet the state standards.

"If we don't pass the bond issue and it goes up to the Department of Natural Resources that we didn't pass the bond issue, they will, most times, let you put it to the voters once again," Mara said. "If it doesn't pass a second time, they will come in and they will tell you that you have to do this project through private financing. If you have to go through private financing, you have to pay higher interest rates and the money that you get is going to cost you a whole lot more than what you could get it at if you go through [the United States Department of Agriculture].

"They will have you do it one way or another. When they make you do it through private funding, it will cost you a whole lot more because you have to pay for all of it. You have to pay for every bit of it. There won't be any grants at all and you will pay a higher percentage rate because you will get it at whatever the going percentage rate is.

"We are trying to do this the cheapest way that we can, but we also want to make sure that it is effective and what we have done will last and not have to be redone."

When asked if the city could look at getting a cost comparison of private financing versus the bond issue, Mara said he will have one at the next meeting.

Mara then said if there were no more questions, he would call the meeting to a close. He thanked those in attendance for coming and added that the next meeting will be held in Marc, asking the citizens to bring their neighbors to the that meeting.