By Paul Minnis, The Republic
pminnis@therepublic.com
The $20 increase you might have expected this summer to your water and sewer bill will be less than that, if the federal economic stimulus plan proceeds as local officials hope.
With the Senate vote of 60-38 Friday night, Congress sent the $787 billion plan to President Obama, who is expected to sign the measure Tuesday.
Columbus City Utilities, Columbus Municipal Airport, the Metropolitan Planning Organization and the city engineer's division all submitted projects to Indiana Department of Transportation to get a piece of the funds.
City Utilities Director Keith Reeves said the state, which would administer its share of funds to local governments and decide how to divide them, would give City Utilities its share as a lower interest rate to build a $68 million wastewater treatment plant.
That potentially could cut the average resident's water- and sewer-bill increase from $20 a month (55 percent more than it is now) to as little as $15.
Indiana would have to pass a zero-interest loan to achieve that reduction. Reeves said the savings would be incrementally less if the interest rate was cut to 1 percent or 2 percent.
He said City Utilities without the stimulus would have been looking at a 4.25-percent interest rate.
"Over the 20-year life (of the bond), this could cut the costs by almost two-thirds," Reeves said. "If we can get even close to zero interest, I'd be thrilled."
Columbus Regional Airport has a wish list that totals $12.2 million. All 12 projects, from apron rehabilitation to fencing installation, already were on the airport's nine-year master plan.
Airport manager Rod Blasdel said he expects about $7.2 million of the $12.2 million in requests to be covered by the stimulus, based on his conversation with the state.
One wish-list item is for a 7-mile, 10-foot tall chain-link fence to be placed around the airport's perimeter. Blasdel said it would cost about $2.1 million.
Its purpose would be to keep animals and possibly people off the airport grounds, solving a safety problem.
"It's not a huge problem, but we don't want deer crossing onto our runways," Blasdel said.
Blasdel wants $105,000 to tear out the foundation of an old maintenance building that was torn down about five years ago.
He also wants $820,000 to build a T-hanger large enough for 16 planes.
Blasdel said the airport has a waiting list of people who would love to rent space. A Thangar would generate rental fees and other money to benefit the airport.
The City Engineer's office has asked for a total of $9.3 million, $7.9 million of which would widen stretches of 17th Street and Road 200S, and $1.4 million of which would build a storm sewer on Indiana Avenue.
Kent Anderson, who heads the city's Metropolitan Planning Organization, could not be reached about the MPO requests.