Whitfield County has greenlighted a $900,000 Westside sewer project.
The county Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 on Monday to approve an intergovernmental agreement with Dalton Utilities that will expand sewer to Westside Park.
Board Chairman Jevin Jensen typically votes only when there is a tie.
The sewer will go down Crider Road to Utility Road and Mount Vernon Road to the park.
In March, the board of Dalton Utilities approved a $678,650 bid from Ellis Contracting of Chatsworth for the project. That is labor only.
Dalton Utilities will provide the materials, which have a projected cost of $225,000.
Jensen noted that the final budget for the project is about $450,000 less than forecasted.
The project calls for the installation of 12,700 feet of low-pressure sewer main. The utility estimates the work will take 180 days.
The commissioners voted in 2022 to fund the Westside sewer expansion with the county’s share of federal American Rescue Plan Act funding. County officials said the increased use of Westside Park is pushing the county to need to upgrade to sewer from septic tanks for the restrooms at the park.
That sewer line will pass by Westside Elementary School and Westside Middle School and extend down to Westside Park, making it possible to connect all of them to sewer. Whitfield County Schools officials have expressed an interest in connecting both of those schools to sewer.
Jensen said the sewer line will also pass by a number of residential and commercial properties and could open the area up to greater development.