LUB approves water line extension Interlocal agreement 

By Charlotte Underwood 

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF)- At its Monday evening workshop and meeting, the LaFollette Utility Board discussed and approved the amendment of an interlocal agreement between LUB and the county regarding water line extensions. The new Interlocal agreement defines the upcoming projects listed as “phase one” and adds an additional $1.2 million in funds from the county to the projects.

TOP PHOTO: The LaFollette Utility Board met on Monday evening, approving an interlocal agreement.

“The county has now identified phase one priorities, and the commission approved it based on the recommendation of the water line committee,” said LUB Attorney Kathy Parrott. 

She told board members the County Water Line Extension Committee put the list together, and that LUB is heading up the projects.

Phase one water line extension projects include 3,600 ft. on Norman Road, 4,600 ft. on Flat Hollow Road, 2,000 ft. on Flat Land Lane, 1,986 ft. on Arthur Circle, 3,100 ft. on Flatwoods Road, and 2,900 ft. on Bark Lane. 

LaFollette Utility Board General Manager Regina Kennedy also prepared a timeline regarding the joint waterline projects LUB and Campbell County are undertaking and shared that with the utility board members.

It is a split project between LUB and Campbell County. Kennedy said that in July, she and other LUB officials had met with Evan Sanders the grant administrator via phone, as well with engineering consultants and that engineering plans had been submitted to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation for approval. The plans also must be approved by the State Revolving Fund.

“It has gone through and been approved from the TDEC point, its at SRF place now and so, it could be another couple of months … but the good news is, based on all of this, we hope to have those plans approved by November,” Kennedy said.

She said the utility was ahead of schedule in other areas and that construction should start on time.

“The county has allocated an additional $1.2 million dollars in case this project needs more funding, so they have requested a new local agreement to be signed,” Kennedy said.

LaFollette Utility Board Attorney Kathy Parrott went over the new interlocal agreement amendment with board members, explaining that it basically defined phase one of the project and also included the issuance of a purchase order to LUB for $1.2 million in additional funds to be used on the water line extension projects.

“Since this came down in February of 2022, now the engineering has been done. The original agreement from 2022 included roads that were referred to in the Cedar Creek community and had roads in Alder Springs and other roads, there was a big list in the original agreement. These came in with engineering estimates; the Cedar Creek Communities alone came in at $15 million and the county was informed of that. The County and water committee has seen those reports. The county water committee met and identified phase one of the projects based on the funds that we have,” Parrott said.

The original agreement was made in 2022 for 50-50 sharing in funding for the project at $3 million each; the additional $1.2 million dollars brings the total up to $7.2 million for phase one.

These ARPA funds which are coming from the Federal Government “need to be spent by September of 2026,” according to LUB Board member Jay Willoughby. 

Parrott said the way she drafted the agreement, that if there is money left over or if there is more money that becomes available, at that point the waterline committee can define phase two and if LUB is in agreement in how the second phase is to be spent.

“That doesn’t meet that all of these roads are going to be $7.2 million, we just have engineer estimates, when the bids actually come in and everybody actually gets a feel, if there is anything left, then everyone will come back to the drawing table and let them look at what phase two would be, so Cedar Creek is not off the table, the Cedar Creek communities are not off the table, they just are no included in phase one that is going to go to bid,” Parrott said.

Willoughby said the biggest problem was getting the money released from the government and get the contractors and get the engineer and get everything in the ground to spend this in the timeline that it has to be spent in. He said the deadline to spend the funds needed to be extended by the federal government. The project has to be completed by September 2026.

“The money has to be spent by the September 2026 deadline; $7.2 million of water line has to be in the ground …It’s going to be two years of hitting it hard,” Parrott said.

August 30th, 2025, is the Construction start requirement date. According to Kennedy, LUB expects to have the plans for the projects approved by November of this year. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 08/27/2024-6AM)