Stimulus funds being used on water project

The city is partnering with Troy University Dothan in a project that will provide water and increase water pressure to a growing area of the city.

The university has given the city two acres of land on the southwest corner of the campus for the construction of a water tower. Water lines will be extended to connect with the existing water main near the southeastern corner of the campus.

District 5 Commissioner Taylor Barbaree said for years residents have complained about reduced pressure in this area, which includes parts of districts 5 and 6.

“Paradise Acres is an example of one of those areas,” Barbaree said. “It was developed in Dale County and later annexed into the city. It is at the end of the line of our system and water has to travel a great distance to get there and the pressure is not up to par.”

Dothan is receiving $4.1 million in stimulus funds from the State Revolving Loan fund of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to pay for the project. Half of that amount is being forgiven. The remainder carries a 3.25 interest rate.

“This allows us to alleviate a problem and build a much-needed project for a little over $2 million,” City Manager Mike West said.

The project consists of installing a 1.5-million-gallon elevated water tank structure with a 16-inch water main, extending from Murphy Mill Road along Brannon Stand Road to the proposed tank site, then continuing with a 12-inch main to connect to the existing water main at Troy Dothan.

This use of stimulus funds puts the project on the fast track. The project will be bid and awarded in first quarter 2010, with an 18-month completion date. Around June 2011, it should be operational.

Barbaree said the project fits into the utility department’s long-range plan, which has included the construction of two new water wells at Denton and Lingo roads and Faulkner and Suggs roads. Both wells are high volume, pumping 1,500 gallons per minute.

“This has been in the planning for quite some time,” Barbaree said. “I am glad to see it come to fruition. If you have a plan and are operating from that plan, then you are able to provide better services for the residents of Dothan and that’s exactly what happened. This has been part of the utility business plans and an objective of the commission for some time.”