Amherst service authority pauses Seminole Plaza sewer upgrade; staff to seek property-owner participation

The Amherst County Service Authority on Aug. 5 discussed engineering work to make the privately owned Seminole Plaza sewer system construction-ready and agreed to have staff seek participation from the property owner before committing county funds.

The matter matters because the privately owned system has experienced sanitary sewer overflows; the authority would fund engineering to develop construction-ready plans so the project could be eligible for grant programs and to get a firm cost estimate for repairs.

Executive Director (staff member) told the authority the Seminole Plaza system “was brought to me when I first started the job as a need” and described repeated overflows. He said a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) preliminary engineering report gave “preliminary cost for what it would take to solve this problem,” and that the authority had been pursuing federal grant funding. He said the FEMA BRIC grant stream was removed from the federal budget before they could submit and that staff has been talking with the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) about alternatives.

The executive director recommended using ARPA-designated sewer extension funds to pay for the next step: engineering to make the project construction-ready and to prepare required easements and plans. He said that would produce a firm construction cost and allow the authority and the property owner to consider a partnership.

A board member raised concerns about using authority funds on a privately owned system and pressed the question of owner responsibility: “So what responsibility does the property owner have?” The executive director replied that “it has been proven that it’s their issue” and that staff has documentation backing that point. The board member noted the roughly $540,000 estimated cost to fix the system and said, “So if we don’t get the grant, we’re gonna be out $40,000 for the engineering.”

Rather than approve payment immediately, the board directed the executive director to discuss cost-sharing or other participation with the property owner and report back. The executive director said he would have those conversations and bring an updated proposal to the authority at a future meeting.

No formal vote to award the engineering contract for Seminole Plaza was taken at the Aug. 5 meeting; the authority left the item pending further conversation with the property owner.

Next steps: staff will approach the property owner about participation, pursue grant options with DHCD as appropriate and return to the authority with a recommended funding arrangement and any contract language needed to proceed.