OAK GROVE WORKING TOWARDS AGREEMENT WITH HWEA ABOUT NEW MALL NEEDS

            OAK GROVE CITY OFFICIALS SAY THEY ARE WORKING TOWARDS AN AGREEMENT WITH THE HOPKINSVILLE WATER ENVIRONMENT AUTHORITY TO GET GRANT FUNDING FOR SEWER UPGRADES.

            ACCORDING TO CITY CLERK EVELYN MCDANIEL, MAYOR DAN POTTER PARTICIPATED IN A CONFERENCE CALL LAST (TUESDAY) NIGHT WITH OAK GROVE VILLAGE DEVELOPERS, STATE SENATOR JOEY PENDLETON, COUNTY JUDGE EXECUTIVE STEVE TRIBBLE, HWEA ATTORNEY JACK LACKEY AND HWEA GENERAL MANAGER LEN HALE. SHE SAYS WHILE THEY DID NOT COME TO AN AGREEMENT, THEY ARE MAKING HEADWAY.

            THE PROBLEMS AROSE WHEN LACKEY SENT THE CITY COUNCIL A LETTER ON MARCH 1ST SAYS HWEA, WHO OWNS THE OAK GROVE SEWER SYSTEM, WOULD NOT SEEK ANY GRANT FUNDING FOR SEWER UPGRADES UNTIL THEY HAD A SIGNED MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT WITH MALL DEVELOPERS AND THE CITY. LACKEY SAYS THE UTILITY WANTS ASSURANCES FROM THE DEVELOPERS TO PURCHASE 600-THOUSAND GALLONS OF WATER A DAY AND BUILDING THE MALL WITHIN 5 YEARS.

            DESPITE ASSURANCES FROM PENDLETON AND CHRISTIAN COUNTY ATTORNEY MIKE FOSTER THAT THE 7.5 MILLION DOLLARS NEEDED FOR SEWER UPGRADES WOULD BE COMPLETELY GRANT FUNDED, LACKEY HAS BEEN TOLD OTHERWISE.

            LACKEY SAYS THE 2.5 MILLION DOLLAR U.S. RURAL DEVELOPMENT FUNDING NEEDED WOULD MOST LIKELY BE 60 PERCENT LOAN 40 PERCENT GRANT.

            BECAUSE HWEA IS A CITY OF HOPKINSVILLE ENTITY, THEY ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL FOR LOANS AND MAYOR DAN KEMP HAS REQUESTED LACKEY AND HWEA GET ASSURANCES BEFORE PROCEEDING.

            LACKEY SAYS THE GRANT FUNDING IS STILL IN THE PRELIMINARY STAGES, BUT THREE-MILLION DOLLARS WILL COME FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY WITH CHRISTIAN COUNTY FISCAL COURT APPLYING FOR THE FUNDING. HE ADDS THE TWO-MILLION DOLLARS IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS WOULD BE SPLIT EVENLY BETWEEN HOPKINSVILLE AND COUNTY GOVERNMENTS.

            MCDANIEL TOLD THE NEWS EDGE THAT THE DEVELOPERS HAVE AGREED TO A LETTER OF INTENT, BUT WILL NOT SIGN A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT. LACKEY SAYS THE UTILITY WOULD CONSIDER A LETTER OF INTENT IF THEY KNEW ITS CONTENT.

            BOTH MAYORS ARE OUT OF TOWN AND WERE UNAVAILABLE FOR COMMENT.