Town council delays vote

Killen - The town council delayed voting on a contract that would bring a sewage treatment plant to Killen and instead faced an onslaught of opposition from residents about the proposed site.

The contract would be between the town and Alabama Utility Services and would be one step in the process toward the construction of a sewage treatment facility.

Mayor Jerry Mitchell cited issues that needed resolution or further clarification, including fee rates for potential customers, before inking a deal.

More than 200 people attended the meeting, however, most to voice their concerns to the proposed contract and treatment facility.

Killen has been searching for a solution that would remove the town's dependence on septic tanks, a problem that city leaders say is keeping the town from seeing a variety of growth opportunities.

One attempt to bring a plant to the town failed in 2005. Killen leaders are now working with Alabama Utility Services on another option that could put the plant near Bluewater Creek.

Residents like Jennifer Butler say that shouldn't be an option because of environmental concerns. She and several dozen others stood outside town hall awaiting word on what was going on inside.

"My family has land on Bluewater, and we spend our summers there; our kids swim in that water," she said.

City officials and representatives from Alabama Utility Services maintain that the discharge back into Bluewater Creek would not upset the natural ecological balance that occurs there. Additionally, they said odor would be controlled through technological means, and raw sewage would not be put into the body of water.

"Only in the event of a terrorist attack could I see the system failing," said Teresa Lucas, an engineer at Alabama Utility Services. "As for smell, sometimes when a system is overloaded or if it's older, there can be a smell. But it could be contained. If (a sewage treatment plant) poses those problems, it can harm property values."

Even if a contract is signed, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management would have to sign off on the project with an approved permit before construction could begin. Jerome Hand, spokesman for ADEM, said there would be a 30-day public comment period for residents to voice these concerns.

"If we don't get approval from (ADEM), all of (these concerns) won't matter," Mitchell said, adding that the contract would be a franchise agreement between Killen and Alabama Utility Services.

Still, residents hope for a solution that will take the facility outside the Bluewater Creek area.

Billy Smith was among the group that advocated finding a way to fund hooking Killen's system up to the system in Florence.

"If it doesn't smell good, I don't want to have to smell it," he said during the meeting. "What we need to do is hook up to Florence."

At a cost of $4.5 million dollars, city officials have all but ruled out that option as too expensive and not an adequate fix for the future growth the town could face.

Chris Matthews, owner of Alabama Utility Services, which is based in Pell City, said Killen would pay nothing for the treatment facility that could handle up to 500,000 gallons of water per day and last between five and 10 years.

"We would make a $2 million to $3 million dollar investment, which is part of the initial plan," he said. "As more customers sign up, our investment would go up."

Without a vote on the contract Monday night, council members said they would revisit the issue at their next meeting.

Michelle Rupe Eubanks can be reached at 740-5745 or michelle.eubanks@timesdaily.com.