Hall Commission questions Athens Highway sewer cost

GAINESVILLE - Hall County commissioners Monday looked ahead to sewer development plans on Athens Highway with an eye on the cost.

Gainesville Utilities Director Kelly Randall said the project would develop in three phases, each phase costing around $11 million, with most of it in the county.

Randall said the drought has cut into water department revenues. He said the state's mandated water use restriction has had a telling effect, so the county might have to foot a large part of the sewer development bill.

"In 2007 we brought in about $57 million. In 2008 we think we're going to bring in $47 million," Randall said. "We're looking at building phase two and phase three after the year 2013. If there's interest we can move this project backwards and forwards, but right now we're needing cash for phase two and phase three."

Commission Chairman Tom Oliver said Athens Highway is not the only project under review.

"We might commit a small amount of funds for that project," Oliver said. "But we've got to have a way to pay for it someday and we've got to have the users to pay for it."

Oliver pointed to south Hall County as a user rich part of the county right now, deserving county sewer installation, with possible solid development soon also along the Highway 365 Corridor in north Hall County.

Athens Highway is in Commissioner Deborah Mack's district. She supports the project, but said she is not sure how the county would finance it.