The western-end water extension project, undertaken by the Greenbrier County Public Service District No.2, is making progress as the Greenbrier County Commission approved a resolution for the engineering design phase of the project at the Tuesday commission meeting. The price tag for this phase comes to $200,000 and is funded through a $1.5 million Small Cities Block Grant. Last March, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin presented more than $12 million in Small Cities Block Grant funds for 13 critical infrastructure projects in support of communities across West Virginia. In total, more than $44 million in other federal, state and local funding will support these projects for more than 17,000 West Virginia households, improving infrastructure reliability statewide. The purpose for the water extension is to provide water service to several communities along I-64 and US Rt. 60, including Crawley, Shawver’s Crossing, Sam Black Church, Clintonville, Alta, Williamsburg and Trout. The project will also provide an interconnection to Rupert, enabling the town’s aging plant to be placed on standby status. The project will complement a larger county-wide goal of connecting water lines throughout the county and thereby securing additional water sources for county residents. The total cost for the water project is expected to run to $10 million. Small Cities Block Grant funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Community Development Division of the West Virginia Development Office manages the administration of these funds.
