The town of White Stone is accepting sealed bids for construction of its sewage collection and treatment system, a huge step toward the completion of its public sewer system.
Town manager Patrick Frere delivered the good news to council on April 4. Advertisements for bids appeared in last week’s paper and a pre-bid conference with potential builders, representatives from Bowman Consulting, Frere and Mayor Randy Reeves was held at the town office April 9. Bids will be accepted at the Town Hall, 433 Rappahannock Drive, White Stone, through 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 17.
“This is great news,” said Frere. “It’s finally happening.”
Frere also received a letter this week from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) congratulating the town on the completion of “all activities required for the execution of the Town of White Stone’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) agreement for the White Stone Neighborhood Improvement Project.”
The Neighborhood Improvement Project, part of Phase 1 of the town’s improvement plan, included housing rehabilitation of 15 homes and the public sewer project. The acceptance of the housing grant enables the town to move forward with the second part of the funding, a $470,000 DHCD grant for stormwater and sewer runoff.
The project bids now being accepted are for the installation of a new low-pressure wastewater collection system, a wastewater treatment plant and a subsurface drip irrigation disposal system.
In other business, council set a 2019-20 budget work session for 5:30 p.m. on April 24 in the Town Hall.
“Not knowing what the prepared food tax will bring or the sales tax revenue will bring, we need to be conservative with our revenue projections,” said Frere.
Total general fund revenues projected for 2018-19 were $163,590. Frere anticipates a similar revenue projection.
“There are a lot of unknowns with this budget,” he said.
Frere should present the 2019-20 project to council on May 2.
