Harrington holds public meeting on KDHE loan application for wastewater plant, estimates $3.61 million project

City staff updated the Harrington City Commission and the public July 15 on the city’s application to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) for a 30-year wastewater treatment plant revolving loan and held a public meeting ahead of a formal public hearing scheduled for Aug. 5.

Staff said the loan application packet contains a multi-page cost breakdown and a list of planned improvements at the wastewater treatment plant. "So the current price tag is 3,614,120," staff said, adding the estimate was last updated in May and that the estimate still includes an Aeromod equipment line item the city expected to receive a $90,000 contribution for but had not deducted from the total.

Why it matters: the loan application must be complete before mid-October and the city needs affidavits of publication, meeting minutes and a resolution authorizing the loan application and the mayor’s signature to accompany the submission. Staff said they intend to file as early as August, shortly after the public hearing, to allow time for any requests for additional information prior to the county’s October deadline.

Staff outlined the remaining timeline and steps: design completion by mid-September, the KDHE loan decision potentially arriving in January and a council decision point about whether to begin construction this fall (which would require temporary or bridge financing) or to delay construction until after a loan award in January. "If we can get under construction this fall, let's do it," staff said; but they cautioned contractors will expect payment if work begins in October or November and that a bridge loan or other interim financing would be required.

Staff also described the environmental review process for KDHE applications. Notice was sent to 12 agencies in April for environmental review; most agencies have returned comments, but staff noted it is not unusual to receive one or two late responses. Among documents already gathered for the application, staff listed the city's capital improvement plan, sewer use ordinance and the city’s most recent discharge permit; staff said they would obtain and include the finalized capital improvement plan and a short letter explaining how the city’s sewer rates are calculated using winter water use records.

During the public meeting staff answered procedural questions and invited public comment; no substantive changes to the application were recorded at the July 15 meeting. The public meeting was closed later in the agenda and staff said they will provide the mayor’s signature and supporting documents to the city clerk in short order to include with the loan packet.

Supporting details and limits: staff emphasized cost estimating uncertainty in the current market and said the estimate intentionally erred on the high side. They said contractor installation costs were polled informally to arrive at the construction estimate. Staff also noted that, if construction begins before KDHE loans are awarded, the city would need bridge financing because contractors expect prompt payment.

The commission did not take a formal vote on the loan application at the July 15 meeting; staff identified remaining administrative steps and the Aug. 5 public hearing date as the upcoming formal public process.