By Kim Hamilton - News Editor
Due to fast-moving development efforts, the city utility will ask city council how it wants to proceed with sewer installation in potential development areas.
More specifically, an assisted living facility developer has purchased property near one of the old Dykes Tobacco Warehouses across the road from the new Wal-Mart Super Center site.
However, there is no city sewer to the site at this time.
Morehead Utility Plant Board unanimously voted to send a letter to city council to ask how it should proceed with development off the main sewer trunk line there.
The area has not been annexed by the city yet.
“Council has said that if it's a sewer line that will serve other customers and Cranston Road as well, it should be done,” said Al Baldwin, city council liaison to the utility board.
"There were varying opinions on what a septic system would cost," said Mike Nickell, utility manager. "One question was about taking the line up as far as a mobile home on the top of the hill on old KY 32."
He asked board members if they wanted to approve running a new sewer line at the location.
"I think we should step back and look at the bigger picture in this case," Baldwin said. "Maybe we should send a letter to the city saying that if it plans to annex there, the utility board would like to comment, because that hasn't been happening.
“We're in a period right now where there will be annexing on KY 32 and maybe on KY 801,” Baldwin added.
“We have the utilities in place on KY 32 to Pine Hills except for that one dead spot," Nickell said, referring to the old KY 32 area where the former tobacco warehouses are located.
“It's the only spot where we don't have sewer service and I think Rowan County Sanitation at the time went that way because it was cheaper,” Nickell said.
“We have sewer completely out on KY 801, so there is no question or issue there,” Nickell added. "But if it is off the beaten path, we'd like to have input."
The cost of the sewer line and how to divide it between the public utility and the facility is one of the issues.
