Improvements would help Green River expansion, officials say
JEFF GEARINO Southwest Wyoming bureau | Posted: Friday, November 10, 2006 12:00 am
GREEN RIVER - Renovating a local water and sewer district's aging treatment and storage facilities could help Sweetwater County in its efforts to open lands west of Green River along Interstate 80 for development, county commissioners were told this week.
Aging infrastructure, stricter environmental regulations and a large state debt forced the Jamestown Rio Vista Water and Sewer District to seek the county's help for long-awaited renovations, district officials said.
"This could be the frosting on the whole cake and help open those lands up for much-needed development to the west," district president and board Chairman Kael Jasperson told commissioners.
"The infrastructure has got to be there, (because) it's an essential, vital part of encouraging development out there," Jasperson said."It's got to happen first."
The district serves residents of the small, rural community of Jamestown, an unincorporated town that lies two miles west of Green River along Highway 374. The community has about 370 property owners spread out mostly north of the Green River and south of the interstate.
County and city officials have long warned that Green River has little if no room for growth.
With I-80 and scenic Castle Rock to the north, steep, undevelopable land to the south and prohibitive costs for development to the east, officials in recent years have turned their eyes west across the river - specifically around the west Covered Wagon and LaBarge I-80 interchanges - for possible expansion and development.
Water, sewer and other infrastructure must be brought to the area first, however, before developers will come, officials believe.
Jasperson said the district was considering a two-phase, $3 million renovation project to extend distribution facilities west across the river and to construct a new treatment center.
He said the district needs the county's help to obtain financing for the proposed water improvement project because various state financing sources are not available to special districts for projects without county endorsement.
In need of repairs
The special district was created in 1974, and the present treatment facilities were built in 1982. Jasperson said the age of the quarter-century-old facilities has led to increased maintenance problems and general "wear and tear" on the system.
The system also faces much stricter federal Environmental Protection Agency standards than since it was built, Jasperson said.
In addition, Jasperson said it was originally anticipated that the district's facilities would be extended west across the river, but the bankruptcy of a developer resulted in the extension never occurring.
He said those properties were assessed by the district, however, but no assessed funds were collected as water was not being delivered. That, in turn, resulted in the district defaulting on a loan from the state.
He said the district owes the state about $680,000. "Moving to the west is an essential element to resolving that issue," Jasperson said. "But before they restructure that loan, they need a plan from us. It's the first step is to get water to the other side of the river."
He noted a planned Petro Inc. truck stop proposed a decade ago for west of the river has been delayed, in part because of the district's lack of delivery facilities to the area.
The joint powers water board recently completed the construction of a new, approximately $30 million treatment plant located several miles down river in the city of Green River.
Commissioners were supportive of the project and said they would help the district apply for state grants. Any grant, commissioners noted, would require a matching grant from the county.
"I do support this," Commissioner Wally Johnson said. "I believe this (move west) represents the best possible development for Green River and the immediate area. This is the bottleneck, and we've got to get this done first."
Southwest Wyoming bureau reporter Jeff Gearino can be reached at 307-875-5359 or at gearino@tribcsp.com.