BUCKHANNON – Representatives from the Elkins Road Public Service District and Regional VII Planning & Development Council presented a notice of intent to bid out a $6.5 water improvement project at a recent Upshur County Commission meeting.

At the commission’s Jan. 16 meeting, Elkins PSD Board Chair Carey Wagner said the $6.5 million project – labeled the Phase III Water System Improvement Project – consists of four different contracts.

“[In] Contract one, we are getting a new office building, which is desperately needed,” Wagner said. “If you have ever been behind our current office building, you’ll see that we are slipping over the hill. Every time it rains or snows and freezes and thaws, we’re just scared we are just going to go tumbling.”

The Elkins Road PSD’s address is listed as 4536 Old Elkins Road in Buckhannon.

Contract two calls for the refurbishing of two water tanks that have been around since about 1980, Wagner said.

“It is also part of our contingency from the (state) Bureau of Public Health to either refurbish or replace them, but as we know, it’s cheaper to refurbish at this point than it is to replace,” she said.

Contract three is a waterline extension project to the Winery Road off Kesling Mill, Radabaugh Ridge, Handy Camp Road and Upper Sand Run. From Upper Sand Run, the water line will cross under U.S. Route 33 and pick up customers on Wolf Ridge Road.

“Contract four includes the areas of Ellamore, which is Burnt Bridge Road and Osburn Road,” Wagner said. “It also includes Hawkins Road and Beech Run Road.”

She said the project will also include the installation of new emergency generators at the five existing pump stations and the replacement of valves near the Union Elementary School.

The project would mean picking up 76 customers, and construction on Phase III is expected to be underway in the fall, Wagner said.

The project’s being funded by the Community Development Block Grant program, known as CDBG – Small Cities. Commissioners approved the notice of intent to bid, and according to documents on the county’s website, bidding will open in February and contracts are expected to be awarded in May.

To learn more about the project, give the Elkins Road PSD a call at 304-472-3008.