Leadwood public hearing canceled

The public hearing scheduled to take place Tuesday at the Leadwood Firehouse, 1101 Mill St., concerning the City of Leadwood’s plan to upgrade the town’s water and sewer systems was canceled due to weather conditions.

Leadwood City Clerk Charlotte Lewis said Tuesday afternoon that a new date had not yet been set for the hearing.

Tim Robbs of Farmington-based Taylor Engineering, the company heading up the project, was scheduled to attend the meeting, as was Margaret Yates of the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission, which is acting as grant administrator on the job.

Yates was to give a presentation on the project. A question and answer session was to follow, during which attendees were to be given an opportunity to ask questions about the planned updates to the two systems and about the voluntary salary survey residents are being asked to complete in an effort to secure grant funding for the work.

The cost to improve the water and sewer systems is estimated at $5.1 million.

Taylor Engineering along with the city is working to secure grant funding for the project. The two are partnering with USDA Rural Development, the Missouri Community Development Block Grant program and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to obtain financing.

In addition to seeking grants, city leaders plan to ask Leadwood voters on April 7 to approve a $10 million bond issue to help with project costs.

Once returned, the surveys will be forwarded to the USDA, which will tally the information provided by residents. Parks said 51 percent of households must meet specified income guidelines for the city to qualify for grant funds.

A second public hearing on Leadwood’s plans to update the two systems has been set for 3 p.m. March 24. It will take place at the firehouse.

Clementine Carbery is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-518-3616 or ccarbery@dailyjournalonline.com