Etna Green council hires Commonwealth for wastewater asset-management plan to chase state funding

Etna Green — The Etna Green Town Council voted Nov. 11 to hire Commonwealth Engineering to prepare a wastewater asset-management plan (AMP) and move the town into the State Revolving Fund (SRF) funding cycle, a step council members said is needed to avoid a lengthy delay before any construction funding becomes available.

Olivia Nicks, a community development planner with the Michigan Area Council of Governments, told the council the town is applying this week for an OKRA Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) planning grant to fund a master utility study that would look at wastewater, drinking water and the feasibility of a stormwater utility. The town is seeking the maximum OKRA planning grant of $90,000 and committing a local match of up to $10,000 (10% of the project), bringing the proposed project total to about $100,000. Nicks said income surveys indicate approximately 63.1% of residents in the service area qualify as low-to-moderate income, meeting OKRA's area-benefit threshold.

Commonwealth Engineering and project engineer Jeremy Hardy told the council that even if the OKRA planning grant is awarded, delays in scheduling construction funding through SRF could total 1——— to 2——— years; they urged the town to start an AMP and a preliminary engineering review (PER) as soon as possible because SRF requires an AMP to qualify for construction funding and scores applicants by several factors (rates, household income and demographics). Jeremy Hardy said doing the AMP and PER in parallel is the best route to be eligible for the April 1 SRF submission cycle.

Council members expressed concern about repeated system failures at the water and wastewater facilities and cited recent incidents including structural problems at a wastewater deck and chronic "nasty" water complaints in town. The council moved to hire Commonwealth to perform the wastewater asset-management plan at a cost not to exceed $30,000 and to authorize Heath (a council member) to sign the contract when presented. The motion and subsequent authorization were seconded and approved by the council.

Council and consultants clarified funding mechanics: the OKRA planning grant, if awarded, would fund the master utility study (planning work only) and requires the 10% local match only if the award is received; AMP and PER work can be financed initially from town funds and later reimbursed through SRF if the town obtains SRF funding for construction.

The council also directed staff and consultants to prioritize the wastewater AMP so the town can be placed in the SRF funding queue by the April 1 deadline and obtain a competitive position for potential grant or low-interest loan funding.

The council did not record individual vote tallies in the transcript; motions were made, seconded and recorded as approved during the meeting. The next procedural step noted by staff is submitting any required contract documents and, if the OKRA grant is awarded, moving promptly to the contracting and study kickoff phase.