Wayside wastewater repairs, budget and worker pay moved to April meeting after contractors warn costs exceed ARPA estimate

The Wayside Authority of Coffee County heard on a routine meeting that a contractor’s upcoming assessment of the Wayside wastewater system is likely to show repair costs well above the authority’s 2022 ARPA estimate, and members agreed to meet April 10 to review the assessment, financial records and possible back pay for maintenance workers.

The contractor that won a bid to perform an assessment and preliminary work for the Wayside project has not yet finished the assessment, and “they said nowhere this is nowhere near what it's gonna take,” said Rick (staff member), describing the contractor’s early feedback. The authority’s chair (unnamed) told members they would “have another meeting in 2 weeks” to set the schedule for the rest of the year and address urgent items, including Wayside work and payroll questions.

Why it matters: The Wayside system serves clustered houses that connect to a small sewer/treatment system. Members said parts of the system are offline because tree roots have damaged leach lines, leaving only four zones operating instead of the intended six and a stated need for eight zones as housing is added. The system’s permited capacity and the pace…