Solution for streets

Most Grain Valley and Blue Springs residents who are served by the Sni-A-Bar Waste Water Treatment Facility will see an increase in their water/sewer bills under a plan being considered to increase the system’s capacity.

The city of Blue Springs owns and operates the plant and Grain Valley users purchase water and sewer from that city, said Grain Valley Public Works Director Jeff Fisher.

Officials with the Grain Valley Public Works Department hosted an informal open house Wednesday night to present the plan. Residents and business owners chatted with public works personnel and representatives of Akin, Gordon & Cowger Engineers & Land Surveyors, who are designing the changes. The meeting was held at the Grain Valley Community Center.

The new plan calls for increasing the capacity of the treatment plant to keep up with increased demand, caused by growth in the communities it serves. For instance, the capacity would increase from 6 million gallons to 10 million gallons per day. In addition, the plan calls for upgrading the plant to meet new federal and state requirements for waste water treatment facilities. The standards are meant to protect the environment and those living in the area.

The average water/sewer users under the plan would see an increase of $1.87 per month, Fisher said. However, some low-end users could see decreases in their bills, he said. The plant, located east of Seymour, and south of Duncan roads, serves all of Grain Valley and the eastern half of Blue Springs. The western half of Blue Springs is served by the Little Blue Valley facility.

Fisher said the rate adjustments would pay for about half of the changes while other improvements would be funded by projected new growth in Grain Valley. Another portion would be paid for by a bond issue to be placed before Blue Springs voters, Fisher said. The amount of the bond issue has not yet been determined and will be calculated as more information about projected usage and other factors are made available.

Public hearings are scheduled for June. Changes to the plant’s design would be complete by November and bids would be submitted to contractors in May 2009. The project is scheduled to be completed by June 2011.

Ellen Ward, who moved to Grain Valley in 2004, said she believes the project is important.

“It’s a mandate from the state as well as being preparation for growth,” she said.

Helen Auten, who’s lived in Grain Valley for the last 28 years, said she  supports the project.

“I think it’s going to be good,” she said. “We’re on the senior citizen discount, so it’s not going to go up very much for us.”