| By Bob Weaver
A long sought after $4 million water project for Calhoun is at risk, with signatures for service falling short.
The original number of 183 customers has been downsized to 150, according to engineer Jim Hildreth, following a more specific count of households along the 21-mile stretch.
"The lenders will review the project to see if that's enough customers," Hildreth said, to meet the financial requirements for the loan.
Hildreth indicated the $4 million package is about 80% grants with a 20% loan, "Something we're highly unlikely to see again," a mostly taxpayer supported project.
The sign-up deadline is January 31st.
The water extension stretches from Arnoldsburg to the Upper West Fork Park at Chloe along State Route 16 and from Millstone to Sand Ridge to Sassafras Ridge and Russett.
Earlier, the Mt. Zion Public Service District reported the project is 109 customers short.
Wilma Mace, secretary for the PSD, said PSD workers have been going door-to-door, and have two more days on the West Fork and two more days on the Millstone to Russett section.
The door-to-door effort is an attempt to convince property holders of the importance of public water.
"We'll be asking them to pay the $100 tap fee and agree to three years of water service," said Mace, indicating the minimum water bill would be about $26 a month.
If the property owners do not want water service, they are being asked to sign an "offered but declined" statement.
She said the PSD has not counted the additional customers since the original 74, but the number will be released shortly.
"If we don't have the signers by January 31st, we could lose the project," she said.
The first efforts toward expanding Mt. Zion PSD services was 12 years ago when a feasibility study was done for Sand Ridge-Sassafras Ridge.
The current project was launched by the Mt. Zion PSD and the Calhoun Commission nine years ago.
The water table has fallen and drought conditions have created problems. Potable drinking water is scarce.
The project will raise property values, help reduce fire insurance premiums because of the closeness of fire hydrants and improve the chances for development in the 21st century.
"If residents fail to meet the minimum numbers, a second chance will be years coming," Mace said.
This project has qualified for one of the biggest loans from FHA ($1.8 million). "They will want to shift it to another project right away," she said.
The Calhoun Commission has advised that another water project for the area would be years away.
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