After a week or more of collecting data, Montview residents confronted Mayor John Weaver about the Jasper Waste Water Plant this week, as first reported on The Morning Report. The city is in the process of modifications to the plant, which would reportedly increase the traffic of trucks on Montview Drive, the only entrance to the facility. Residents of Montview, though, have concerns about the odor and complain about the number of transfer trucks carrying waste material down their road to the plant lately. Montview resident Deborah Galloway at one point gauged the number of trucks travelling the road at twenty. Residents also say the truck traffic is dangerous. Galloway says children play at houses near the entrance of the narrow road, while another resident noted school buses now drop off students on South Main Street and students walk down Montview and near-by Lake Charles to get home.

During Monday night’s Jasper City Council meeting, residents lined-up to give their comments. Galloway spoke first and on behalf of the Montview community.

“That treatment plant cannot alter our environment living conditions,”

she said. Her main concern is the number of trucks traveling the road, saying it’s dangerous.

“The road was never built for transfer trucks,”

she said, explaining that the narrow road has a steep eight-grade slope, which she suggested could prevent trucks from stopping in time if necessary. But, she said the community is also concerned with the odor, saying that even the near-by golf course can smell it. She also explained the community has been working with the EPD regarding the health and environmental issues of the plant.

“(We will keep) approaching you,”

she said,

“Making sure those transfer trucks are not on Montview drive.”

Another resident, Lucy Vandoran, also voiced her complaint about the odor.

“I was offered $500,000 for my house,”

she said,

“and when they smelled that (the waste water odor) they told me they wouldn’t buy it for $10,000.”

Presenting at the meeting, Ben Turnipseed explained the project will not be a physical expansion of the facility, but a modification.

“It (the project) is designed to provide phosphorous removal; to do de-chlorination and also provide more oxygen, which will reduce the odors,”

he said. During the meeting, the city also accepted the bid for these modifications. The contract was awarded to RTD Contracting Incorporated at $1,764,578.40. This is $235,000 over the budgeted amount for the project, which is funded mainly through a bond. Council voted to transfer the amount from Jasper’s Water Investment Account.

“We have a big enough balance in that account that if we used the $250,000, we would still have an (ample) balance (in that account),”

City Clerk Tacie Williams said.

Mayor Weaver explained the reason for the modifications.

“After 2006 and 2007, our sewer fees have pretty much dried up,”

he said.

“And we were looking for any revenue we could get our hands on to avoid raising rates on our customers and keep our bottom line in the black.”

He went on to say the venture is not going to be profitable and that the city will have to raise rates in the future, if the city does not have the profit base derived from septic and grease. The mayor, however, did not say when he expects the increases. In the end, Weaver agreed to eliminate the septic trucks travelling the road, but said two to three transfer trucks will still have to necessarily drive Montview to carry Leachate to the plant. The mayor said septic trucks account for a significant portion of the plant revenue. As such, by eliminating them the city will lose approximately $200,000 in revenue. Here, Weaver reiterated a possible rate increase.

“At the end of the day,”

Weaver said,

“We have a waste water plant at the end of the road…We won’t give up the right to use that road for trucks.”

He went on to say he would try to make the neighborhood pleasant and try to work with the Montview residents, but needed to get to the waste water plant. He mentioned a court order, suggesting that he would get one if necessary to use the road.