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Board hears Lincoln Memorial University plan for wastewater plant; MOU with PSA still pending
Summary
Lee County supervisors heard a public hearing and presentations on Lincoln Memorial University’s application for a special-use permit for a wastewater treatment plant, with planning commissioners recommending approval but supervisors saying they will wait for a memorandum of understanding and clarification of plant capacity before taking final action.
The Lee County Board of Supervisors on May 20 heard presentations and public comment on Lincoln Memorial University’s application for a special-use permit to locate a wastewater treatment plant on about 19.34 acres off Beaverbrook Road near Wilderness Road.
The planning commission recommended approval at its prior meeting, but commissioners and citizens flagged capacity concerns. A planning commission representative said the permit on file would allow the site to be built to 300,000 gallons per day (gpd), while the initial design proposed by LMU would handle 150,000 gpd. "One of the systems on that end could produce up to 250,000 gallons per day," the planning commission speaker said, and commissioners asked what capacity would remain available to county needs.
Frank (board speaker) described a phased project and a drafted memorandum of understanding (MOU) between LMU and the Public Service Authority (PSA) that "has to go to the PSA during their next board meeting" for approval. Frank said phases beyond the initial 150,000 gpd were cut to expedite early construction but that permits could allow a later expansion; he told the board he did not believe it was appropriate to take final action at the meeting until the MOU and capacity clarifications were complete.
A planning commission member reiterated that the commission voted unanimously to recommend approval based on the materials before it, but that the change in proposed capacity might require joint clarification or another referral. "We might need to have a joint meeting at some point just to clear that up," the planning commission speaker said.
Board members and staff discussed whether the proposed change from 150,000 to 300,000 gpd would legally require the item to return to the planning commission; one supervisor noted the special-use threshold for a treatment facility is 30,000 gpd but recommended staff confirm procedural steps with the county planner.
No final action on the LMU special-use permit was taken at the meeting; multiple board members said they preferred to wait until the MOU with the PSA is finalized and the plant’s intended capacity is formally clarified before voting.
What happens next: the county will await the PSA’s consideration of the draft MOU and staff will follow up on whether the capacity change requires re-referral to the planning commission or further procedural steps.
