After a series of project deadline extensions, the new Byrdstown Water Plant project missed the October completion deadline.
Byrdstown Mayor Sam Gibson said the settling basin has been filled with water, and the electrical system is in place. Gibson said at this point, the project is still in what he called the “finishing-up process”.
“We’ve got a little issue with, they are trying to you know, make sure they are pressure testing all the lines and everything to make sure everything is 100 percent like it is supposed to be,” Gibson said.
Gibson said he does not expect the project to take much longer. Gibson said the town will not charge the contractor for missing the deadline.
“Not at this point,” Gibson said. “You know, if they were to continue to drag it on for a long period of time, we probably would. But at this point, no, we are not. So we are just hoping that they go ahead and get it all done and hope that we get a product there that we are tickled with.”
Gibson said there have been many periods of undesirable weather throughout the project and took that into consideration. Gibson said the aldermen also approved a resolution on Monday to take funds out of the general fund to cover costs for the project, as the town has not been reimbursed for the project payments by the grant.
“We just needed a little bit of funds to kind of make sure that we finish out the project,” Gibson said. “And then hopefully before the fiscal year out, we will be able to get our money back. Like I say, you are talking about a $3.8 million project, so it takes quite a bit to operate on and to pay up front for those things, and just using our money to do that with until we get back money from the state on that.”
Gibson said the town consulted with the comptroller’s office before proposing the resolution.