Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wastewater Sewer Financing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Miami County approves $3.8 million construction loan to pipe Bucyrus effluent to Spring Hill
Summary
The county commission unanimously approved and signed a Kansas Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund loan agreement to fund construction to pipe wastewater from the Bucyrus plant to Spring Hill, citing multiple grants and loans that reduce county borrowing.
Miami County commissioners unanimously approved a Kansas Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund loan agreement on March 19 to finance construction that will pipe treated effluent from the Bucyrus wastewater plant about 4.5 miles to the City of Spring Hill’s treatment facility.
County Administrator Shane Crowell told commissioners the project addresses repeated effluent-quality failures at the Bucyrus plant and is intended to remove operations at that headworks. “We have secured funding through a variety of different sources that include the Sparks money that Miami County had received from the U.S. Treasury,” Crowell said, listing the county’s contribution and partner funding.
Crowell and staff estimated the construction price at approximately $3,800,000. Funding sources cited in the meeting included $1,000,000 from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (Sparks) allocation, $250,000 from the City of Spring Hill’s ARPA allocation, a $1,500,000 Small Systems Grant from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), a $305,000 Community Development Block Grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce, and an estimated $850,000 forgivable loan from KDHE. Crowell said the remaining $1,420,000 of construction cost would move to permanent financing through the U.S. Department of Agriculture with a 40-year loan possibility; staff also referenced a 20-year loan example at 2.33% as illustrative depending on final bids.
Crowell described the county as operating under a consent decree with KDHE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency related to effluent quality at Bucyrus and said the commission has spent several years assessing alternatives. “The decision was made to essentially abandon the plant, pipe the effluent water to the city of Spring Hill,” Crowell said, framing the plan as both a remedy for compliance and a reduction of local operating burden.
Commissioner Vaughn moved to approve and sign the loan agreement; Commissioner Vickery seconded. The commission voted unanimously to approve the loan agreement.
The vote authorizes the county to execute the revolving loan documents and continue to finalize permanent financing and bid the construction work. Crowell warned several figures remain bid-dependent and that final loan terms will adjust with actual contract prices.
Why it matters: the action shifts wastewater treatment responsibility for Bucyrus effluent to a neighboring municipality and ties the county to multi-year financing and grant conditions while addressing an active consent-decree compliance issue.
Next steps: staff will complete bidding, finalize loan paperwork, and return to the commission with final bids and permanent financing terms as required.
