Pictured, from left, are Silas Chapman, G&G Hauling & Excavating; Michael Mattingly, Crosby Construction; Kosciusko County Councilman Delynn Geiger; Chris Harrison, business development manager with Commonwealth Engineers; Claypool Town Council Members Don Miller and Gene Warner; Claypool Town Superintendent Danny Warner; Claypool Clerk-Treasurer Pat Warner; Ben Adams, project engineer with Commonwealth Engineers; Kosciusko County Community Coordinator Amy Roe; Kosciusko County Commissioner Bob Conley; and Tyler Coffel, manager at Baker Tilly Municipal Advisors.

Text and Photos
By Liz Adkins
InkFreeNews

CLAYPOOL – A groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of construction on a wastewater and stormwater improvement project in Claypool was held on Thursday, Nov. 6, at the town’s wastewater treatment plant.

The project includes updating the wastewater treatment plant, a new Submerged Attached Growth Reactor biological system, UV disinfection, rehabilitation and cleaning of the sewer collection system, and stormwater collection system in the community. It will also replace aging infrastructure that is now at the end of its life and allow the district to reliably and safely meet its permit effluent limits and serve the community.

The $4.6 million project is funded in part through the Indiana Finance Authority’s State Revolving Fund Loan Program, including $1.6 million in forgivable loan dollars; a $750,000 grant from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs; and $200,000 from the Kosciusko County K21 Health Foundation.

Town and county officials, citizens, and representatives for financial advising, construction, and engineering organizations involved in the project attended the groundbreaking.

“Today marks a historical occasion for the town,” said Chris Harrison, business development manager with Commonwealth Engineers Inc. “A day that reflects years of dedication, collaboration, and a vision that the town foresaw three to four years ago … we are not just turning soil. We are turning a new page in the town of Claypool’s history.”

Claypool Town Council Member Don Miller thanks the individuals and organizations that made the project possible.

Council Member Don Miller thanked all of the people and organizations who made the project possible, including Council President Benny Stage Jr., Council Member Gene Warner, Clerk-Treasurer Pat Warner, Town Superintendent Danny Warner, Kosciusko County officials, and the organizations providing funding for the work.

“We hope to open the door for a better era of growth for the community, and the quality of life and health of our citizens,” said Miller. “It’s been several years of planning and processing to get this implemented. This gives us the opportunity to take steps forward; this is a big step.”

Kosciusko County Community Coordinator Amy Roe said her greatest joy in her job has been walking alongside the county’s communities to see projects like Claypool’s come to fruition. She described the town as “resilient, resolved, and determined.”

“For this project, I see it addressing two things,” said Roe. “It addresses the current problems Claypool has been dealing with forever and helps for future development.”

Tyler Coffel, manager at Baker Tilly Municipal Advisors, said the hardest part of the project was getting the financial side of it to work.

“To put the numbers into perspective, if there were no grants and no interest rate reductions, the user rates for the average resident would’ve been $175 a month,” said Coffel. “Post-project rates came in at just over $100. We appreciate the opportunity to work with the town and all the partners involved.”

Ben Adams, project engineer with Commonwealth Engineers, said the project “has been a long road of securing funding for the project.”

Adams thanked the council for moving forward with the project.

“(The town) is pushing forward with improvements to alleviate flooding in various regions of town … as well as investigating the existing sanitary sewer collection system to safeguard repairs and eliminate infiltration and inflow into the existing system,” said Adams. “They sought out the most favorable funding package to make this possible.”

Adams also recognized Crosby Construction, G&G Hauling & Excavating, and Visu-Sewer, who will be involved in the construction.