Construction begins on long-awaited KWD project
From our weekly issue dated November 25, 2009
Copeland employees have begun work to connect Kerby to Cave Junction’s water system. (Photo by Michelle Binker, I.V. News )
Work on the much-delayed Kerby Water District (KWD) project to provide a water system for the unincorporated community was slated to kick off this week.
A preconstruction meeting was held on Monday, Nov. 16 at the RCC Kerby Belt Bldg.
A completion date of April 15, 2010 has been set, much to the delight of John Plute, president of the KWD Board of Directors.
“My hair is growing back in. My blood pressure has dropped significantly,” Plute quipped.
He has been working on the project since 2001. He said that part of the reason it took so long to complete is because of changes to various laws and authorities throughout the process. But once the work is finished, Plute said it will “definitely help the community’s growth.”
A lack of clean, safe drinking water has been a major barrier toward growth in the small town, on the north side of Cave Junction. The issue first emerged after contamination was discovered in Kerby’s old water system. But now, its water system will receive H20 from the city of Cave Junction, which will make it easier for businesses such as restaurants to open their doors.
“You run into the low-water season, and you just can’t make it,” Plute said. “This makes it all viable.”
Kenny Houck has spent the past four years coordinating the project for KWD. He said that the project’s timeline was extended due to its funding through two “completely different” streams with different administrative requirements.
Aside from that, Houck said, Redwood Hwy. has multiple stream crossings, and the small bridges at those sites aren’t large enough to attach a water pipe directly to them. Crews will have to bore under creeks for some of the work, and two of those creeks are associated with salmon habitat, Houck said.
He added that some roads surrounding the project area have Bureau of Land Management easements. Other easements had to be obtained for private driveway crossings, and multiple government agencies have been involved, each with their own requirements and sets of rules, he said.
“Everyone’s had to bend a little bit to keep this on track,” Houck said. “There’s plenty of credit to go around.”
Much of the project’s funding came through a USDA Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), which has been administered by the county. As such, the county has been unable to pursue other CDBGs. That will all change once the KWD project is completed.
“It’s off the list now, and it’s another burden I don’t have to worry about,” Plute said. “The district is not holding up the rest of the county.”
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Grants Pass-based Copeland Sand & Gravel has been awarded the contract valued at just under $2 million.
Copeland Administrator Bill Peterson said that the project will enable that firm to keep 20 people employed who otherwise may have had their positions reduced to part time.
“We really wanted the ability to keep our core personnel actively engaged through the winter,” Peterson said. “This will allow us to have a number of people who otherwise may not have had employment in the winter stay on the job and be actively engaged.”
Cave Junction Mayor Don Moore said that the project will provide around $2.5 million in economic stimulus to Illinois Valley. It also will raise property values in Kerby in the long-term, he added.
“This is a godsend for the people of Kerby,” Moore stated.
An added benefit of the project is installation of fire hydrants along Redwood Hwy. and through some of Kerby’s residential areas. Houck said that improvement likely will result in decreased insurance premiums for Kerby home owners.
As for Plute, he’s just happy to see his nearly nine-year quest finally come to an end.
“First I was giddy with delight, because we’ve really accomplished something as a community here,” he said. “We coordinated all these government agencies and jumped through all the hurdles and through all the hoops they presented us.
“It’s a worthwhile project. It requires effort. Anything worthwhile is usually not easy.”
Besides Plute, Houck, and Moore attendees included county Chief Financial Officer Rosemary DeLashmutt; and representatives from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), Oregon Dept. of Transportation, Josephine County Building Dept., and firms slated to work on the project.
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