STAR CITY— The Morgantown Utility Board (MUB) upgrade project at the Star City Wastewater Treatment Center has provided new opportunities for Star City through partnership and generated revenue.
Chris Dale, communications director for MUB, said the project began in December 2016, when the project was awarded, for a cost of $101,000,000.
Dale said the treatment plant, built in 1965, required significant upgrades to handle new federal regulations, protecting the environment and providing for the continued growth of the Morgantown area.
“These upgrades include installation of new technologies, electrical systems and increasing plant capacity,” he said. “This project will include installation of a membrane system that will provide state-of-the-art treatment processes. This project will also increase the treatment capacity of the plant from the current 12 million gallons a day (mgd) to 20.8 mgd, reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and be expandable to meet future growth.”
Dale said MUB purchased the old 84 Lumber property, near the treatment center because it was already equipped for the project’s needs.
Dale said the property was bought in March for $1.6 million.
“The property currently provides an area for staging materials during wastewater treatment plant construction,” he said. “In the future, it could provide additional space for expansion of the wastewater treatment plant; however, if that occurs it will be far into the future. We currently have no plans for such an expansion.”
Once the plant is completed, the property will be used for storage.
Star City Mayor Herman Reid said the upgrade process is benefiting Star City.
“The MUB project down at the sewage treatment plant has really helped Star City out. It’s a $101 million project, and we get two percent of that [from B&O tax]. Every quarter they send us a pretty nice-sized check, so we are trying to do our best with the money we get from that,” Reid said.
Reid said in one three-month period, Star City saw a check for $130,000. He expects more than $1 million over the project’ life.
“We don’t have the revenue that Granville or Westover bring in,” Reid said. “They both have the malls and such. We just have little old Star City. Any business that moves in — it’s good for Star City’s economy.”
Beyond revenue generated from the project, Reid said MUB has been working with the town to draw up a new lease for use of the riverfront property beside the park.
He said when 84 Lumber was operating, there was an agreement Star City could use part of the property along the river.
Reid said after the purchase by MUB went through, he contacted Tim Ball, MUB general manager, to ask for an extension of the lease and find out about plans for the property.
“We just wanted assurance that we could still use the pavilion there and the grass area; that MUB wasn’t going to use it, which they aren’t,” he said.
An agreement is with Star City attorney Paul Cranston, to work out the details.
Dale said they are working on a 5-year lease agreement on .68 acres.
“Our renewing of the lease was simply the right thing to do and demonstrates the fact that we truly work to be good neighbors,” Dale said. “The value of the 5-year lease is $10.”
Dale said the upgrade project is on schedule and within budget and should be completed by September 2020.
“We’ve received very little negative response going back to early 2016 when we conducted a series of public meetings on the project and the project went before Morgantown City Council,” he said. “The public understands the need for the project from both infrastructure and environmental perspectives and has been very supportive.”
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This is the first of three articles looking at recent changes to Star City.
