Whitfield County OKs $903,650 sewer force‑main agreement with Dalton Utilities, to be paid with ARPA funds

Whitfield County commissioners on April 8 approved a $903,650 intergovernmental agreement with Dalton Utilities to install a force‑main sewer line along Crider Road, Utility Road and Mount Vernon Road between Mill Creek Road and Westside Park.

Commissioner Greg Jones moved to enter the agreement and Commissioner Robby Staten seconded; the motion passed 4-0. County staff said Dalton Utilities solicited bids for labor and provided a materials estimate; the lowest labor bid was $678,650 from Ellis Contracting and materials were estimated at $225,000, bringing the county agreement total to $903,650. An engineer's prior estimate for the project was $1,450,000.

Board documents and the motion state the project will be funded with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)–eligible funds. The board also approved a separate, related expenditure to repair Edwards Park sewer pumps at a final cost of $59,064, increasing an earlier authorization of up to $50,000; that vote was unanimous.

Commissioner Jones said the agreement sets the termini at Mill Creek Road on the east and Westside Park on the west. The county did not specify a construction schedule or an expected completion date in the minutes. The minutes also do not specify whether any easements, permitting milestones or third‑party approvals are required beyond Dalton Utilities' procurement.

The board approved a range of other routine infrastructure and procurement items during the same meeting, including contract trucking services, GPS installation for Public Works vehicles, and a court reporting services contract; those items are separate from the Dalton Utilities sewer agreement.

Next steps recorded in the minutes: the county will proceed with the intergovernmental agreement and use ARPA funds for the project. The minutes do not list additional public hearings, a project timeline, or a completion date.