Monterey Mayor Still Dealing with Waste Water Plant Issues

Monterey, VA – Monterey Mayor Janice Warner reported to the Town Council at last Thursday’s meeting that despite the fact that the new waste water treatment plant has been operating for about 5 months now, there are still several things at the plant and on the grounds that need to be completed.

“It seems like when I cross one hurdle, there’s two more” says Warner “so we still have not been able to get the ultraviolet [system] online. I’m hoping we can have all these things taken care of by the time we have our next meeting.”

Mr. Pearl of Environmental Systems Services in Culpeper, Virginia provides training for waste water treatment plant operators. He will come to Monterey and train plant operator Mike Isles in water testing and operation of all the equipment at the plant. The mayor has checked on funds to pay for this training.

“I did make sure through [USDA] Rural Development that they would pay for this” she says. “We don’t have any concrete figure not knowing how many times they’re going to have to come or what we’re going to have to do, but the least would be $3000.00 and the most would be $6000.00.”

The plant contractor Lantz Construction will be back in the spring to re-seed the grass. The dry weather August through October did not provide enough moisture for the grass come up and get established. Lantz will also have to deal with issues of rainwater runoff and drainage on the site.

The results of the smoke test of the town sewer lines showed that there is significant storm water runoff entering the lines at the school and the trailer park. Supervisor Rexrode has told the Mayor that the situation at the school should be fixed by the weekend if all goes as planned. Mayor Warner has been in touch with Mr. Rick Robertson, owner of the trailer park, about the storm water runoff situation there and he is agreeable to working with the town to get that fixed.

In other business, the mayor reported that the new traffic mirror has arrived and should be installed on Water Street soon. Councilman Butch Washer noted that he had been contacted by a part-time resident of Monterey about the issue of reduced water rates for part-time residents.

Town Attorney Melissa Dowd confirmed that the town cannot legally grant anyone reduced rates. The water and sewer rates were set by USDA Rural Development as a condition of receiving the grant money to pay for much of the cost of the new waste water treatment plant.

The next meeting of the Monterey Town Council is scheduled for Thursday, December 2 at 7:30 in the Highland Public Library.