By Stephen Smoot
When the Town of Franklin council and mayor met last week, they had two sewer solutions to consider.
A proposal from New River Engineering was received several months ago. The proposal was to construct a “package” sewer facility with the capacity to expand its capabilities as needed.
This could include service capacity if the town system expands to include other people. More importantly as environmental mandates and priorities change over time, needs may arise for addressing different substances. For example, Franklin does not currently have to test for phosphorous in sewage. The United States Environmental Protection Agency, however, can change that requirement at any time.
According to the EPA website, “package plants are pre-manufactured treatment facilities used to treat wastewater in small communities or on individual properties.” It also states that “they use the same biological processes and treatment technologies as traditional wastewater treatment plants.”
Package plants have reduced installation costs compared to traditional plants and “require minimal operator supervision.”
Constructing the “package plant” will cost more, but it will give the town a sewage solution for decades to come.
Another option arrived on the table last week. Frank Wehrle, town administrator, explained that “last month, we had that meeting with the representatives of the DEP.” In that meeting, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection suggested an option less expensive than a package plant – bio-domes.
Bio-domes help communities, such as Franklin, that use sewage lagoons. They are an igloo shaped structure sunk into the pond that allows beneficial bacteria to grow and consume wastewater pollutants. They create an environment shielded from the sun’s ultraviolet light that facilitates the breakdown of pollutants.
Using bio-domes brings some problems. Wehrle stated that “they’re sitting at the bottom of a pond” and the town would “need to drain the pond to repair them” because “we don’t have any kind of crane system” to remove them.
He added, “You don’t want to go scuba diving down there, I promise you.”
The main concern, however, lies in the fact that bio-domes address the regulated pollutants currently, but cannot adapt to different needs should those arise. The package plant can.
Wehrle said with the bio-dome, “We could go back to this well five years from now.” Kristen Dingess, council member, pointed out that the bio-dome solution could cost $6 million now and $10 million in three years.
“Go with the original solution,” Bruce Minor, town recorder, concurred.
New River Engineering’s representatives shared that the Ritchie County town of Cairo chose the package plant option. In 2016, it cost them a total of approximately $2.5 million, according to WTAP news in Parkersburg.
Council members voted unanimously for the long-term package plant solution.
Thrasher’s representatives came to discuss the ongoing water system repairs and upgrades. A degraded pipe that requires replacement will add to the project’s cost. Degradation of the underside of it occurred because a decades old rehabilitation failed to cover and protect it from the elements.
“We’re trying to get help from funding agencies,” explained the representative from Thrasher, who added that they will also work with contractors to find savings.
Overall, the water project is just under 90 percent completed.
After a brief discussion of the Town of Franklin’s Christmas lunch for town employees and elected officials, Russ Sasso asked about ordinances governing control of pets in town limits.
Wehrle answered that “we have an ordinance on the books” that reads “you must maintain control” of the animal. The ordinance, however, does not require that the animal be on a leash.
Sasso asked about a leash law due to recent complaints about stray dogs in Franklin. Some stay near roads because motorists toss food out of car windows at them, which encourages more dangerous behavior. He said that dogs “running around with no collar and no tag, that’s actionable.”
Without town law enforcement, however, the Pendleton County Sheriff’s Department is the agency that would enforce animal laws for the Town of Franklin. Jarred Rawson, council member, related that the sheriff’s department has picked up non-compliant animals in the past and taken them to a holding facility near Moorefield.
Wehrle stated that he would inquire with the Pendleton County Sheriff about enforcement of the law.
Minor toward the end of the meeting brought up two areas of concern. He stated that a fire hydrant near the old Hanover building had not opened, but Wehrle said that crews tested it and said, “They just didn’t yank on it hard enough.”
Additionally, Minor mentioned the desire of many to move Mon Power’s poles off of Main Street. Some sit in the middle of the sidewalk and others occupy parts of the road. Sasso pointed out “they’re not safe” in their current location. Large trucks, especially, sometimes hit their mirrors on the poles. Council members discussed how this could happen and what the response from property owners might be.
Dingess closed the meeting by sharing details about Winter Wonderland in the Park, which was scheduled for Dec. 14.
