JOHN COFFELT Contributor

The Coffee County Capital Outlay Committee discussed how to provide sewer access to the planned Hillsboro Highway facility with project engineer Scot St. John of St. John Engineering during its regular meeting Thursday Aug. 1.

The preferred plan is to run a two-inch forced main line along an easement that boarders the Coffee County Jail property back behind the jail then to cut over, skirting the wetlands to tie into a manhole located just to the rear of the jail.

The alternative would require running the line straight over to the adjacent jail property and then cut back, but that route would add driveway cuts, driveway bores and bridging fence lines. 

“The existing sewer comes up the back driveway of the jail, makes a turn and is (by the sally port),” St. John said. “It then becomes a six-inch service line and serves the building in multiple directions.” 

The jail property has wetland areas, some located to the rear of the jail along the former Fann’s Salvage property. Concerns that the wetlands would restrict access to the back of the jail for future expansion were some of the factors that impacted the decision to cull a 2021 plan to locate the shelter in that area.    

The committee made plans to approach the owner of the former Fann’s Salvage lot, Tom Rice, to request him to grant a 25-foot easement.

Capital Outlay Chairman Terry Hershman said that Rice might ask for a larger line to be run to support future developments on his property.

“Even a two-inch forced main would accept quite a bit,” Hershman said. “Most of the (businesses there) are putting off minimal (wastewater).”  

Rice donated the property for the county to build a shelter.

The plans designate a two-inch forced main line fed by a grinder pump coming from the shelter. It is currently included in the lump-sum bid price. 

The county has applied for Manchester sewer tap for the project. The manhole is located just off of Volunteer Court in the Interstate Industrial Park. A current moratorium on sewer taps could impact that application.

The Industrial Board of Coffee County, in cooperation with the City of Manchester has requested to use ARC funds along with local funds to address significant infiltration/inflow in the municipal sewer system. The Manchester sewer system provides sewer services to the Coffee County Interstate Industrial Park along with other industrial parks.