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Commissioners approve $2 million toward Mayodan wastewater plant expansion
Summary
Rockingham County commissioners voted to provide $2 million toward the Town of Mayodan's wastewater treatment plant expansion, adding 200,000 gallons per day of sewer capacity to the county's allocation and using Office of State Budget and Management funds, commissioners and staff said.
Rockingham County commissioners on Sept. 2 approved a request from the Town of Mayodan for a $2 million contribution to an expansion of the Mayodan Wastewater Treatment Plant, adding 200,000 gallons per day (gpd) to the county's sewer capacity allocation. The motion was made by Commissioner Richardson, seconded by Commissioner Barrow, and approved by voice vote.
The Town of Mayodan's town manager, Melody Schueller, told the board the project would raise the plant's capacity from 3.0 million gallons per day (MGD) to 4.5 MGD and that the lowest bidder withdrew after the 60-day period. "They've confirmed that they will hold their bid until September 30," Schueller said, referring to the second-lowest bidder, State Utility Contractors. Schueller said the new low bid of about $16.1 million left the project roughly $2 million over the town's budget.
Schueller said Mayodan offered to allocate 200,000 gpd of additional sewer capacity to Rockingham County in exchange for the county's contribution, and that the county's charge for capacity would be in line with the existing contract: about $10 per gallon per day, as presented to the board. County Manager Lance Metzler clarified that the proposed county contribution would come from Office of State Budget and Management funds, not local tax revenue: "That was the, office of state budget management funds," he said.
Commissioner Hall asked for confirmation that the price per gallon for the additional capacity matched the county's current rate; Schueller confirmed it was "in line with your contract as it stands currently." Schueller also said the county had previously paid $7.5 million toward capacity and that the new contribution would add the 200,000 gpd to that prior contribution.
The board's approval was a recommendation from the Town of Mayodan that the county accept the town's suggestion and provide the additional funds so the project could proceed without rebidding. Schueller warned that if the county did not make the contribution the town would have to re-bid the project and that the next proposal could come back higher.
Why it matters: Schueller said the expansion will support residential, commercial and industrial development in Mayodan and western Rockingham County by increasing sewer infrastructure capacity. The county's added capacity would be formally allocated to the county under the terms described at the meeting.
Next steps: The board approved the contribution by voice vote; no separate roll-call tally was recorded in the public proceedings. The town and county will proceed under the bid-hold timeline the town described.
