Authority receives approval for project
WEST BROWNSVILLE – The Center West Joint Sewer Authority has received RUS (Rural Utility Services) approval for its upcoming project of building a new sewer system, but the board won’t know how soon the project will start until the bids received are opened. The authority will open bids on April 19 at 4 p.m., and only then will it know what the next steps will be.
Chairman Dan Kendall said Thursday that since the authority is expecting the bids to come in over the budget for the project, it may have to seek additional funding or pursue other options.
Kendall said the authority has been communicating with sewer authorities in Browns-ville and California about the possibility of having sewage from the new system treated at one of those plants.
“They are both receptive to treating our sewage, and we may have to go with one of those options if the bids come in over budget like we think they will,” said Kendall, adding that removing the sewage treatment plant from the current plans would save the authority a great deal of money.
Engineer Bob Bible said that if the bids “come in good,” then RUS will expect to see tabulations within 10 days, and the project will proceed from there. He said if the bids do come in high, “things might drag out a little longer.”
The authority believes they will be able to begin construction in about a year. Tap-in fees would be due within 60 days of the project becoming operational, but the amount the fees will be is still unknown.