POA and LUB make initial deal

Leaders find initial solution to longstanding problem
 

Adam Delahoussaye nerw-herald.net
 

The Tellico Village Property Owners Association may have found a solution to their lingering wastewater issues at their June 16 Board meeting.

Toward the backend of the session, Interim General Manager Matt Benoit presented a proposal of a possible partnership to be found between the POA and the Loudon Utilities Board.

Benoit stated that he and other board members had been in discussion with LUB in an effort to re-route the wastewater they’re currently attempting to handle internally to a larger source.

The proposal would have wastewater intended for the currently under development pump station in the central Village re-routed through LUB systems and into their treatment plant. The waste would run under the Tennessee River separating the two communities and effectively resolve the tension the Village is currently feeling in regards to their disposal and treatment process.

“If this could come to fruition, in all likelihood as far as we understand at this point, it would eliminate the need for a wastewater storage tank in the main Village,” Benoit said.

Benoit also stated that the partnership, currently proposed at the expense of $32,375 to the POA, has been vetted by the Village’s legal team. There is also a Memorandum of Understanding involved, saying that consulting on the project falls completely on LUB.

The Village would also contribute their data to the study done in order to see the results once implementation and execution is complete. The total cost, including the LUB portion, is around $65,000.

But according to Benoit’s “napkin math” as he put it, that number wouldn’t stay low forever. If a formal partnership was pursued with the goal of permanence in mind, the POA could see a cost estimate of roughly $3 million. Though any further discussion past a preliminary partnership was referred to as “a story for another day” by Benoit, indicating that testing the waters was a priority before anything else.

Member Mike Lackey made the initial motion for approval, stating that the timeline for completion, roughly two years, would essentially coincide with that of the main pump station this new pipe system would be replacing.

“I’ve heard a lot of people refer to this as the ‘Holy Grail’ as far as solutions to our wastewater problems,” said Board member Joel Reed. “Instead of us trying to internalize and have a standalone solution … so this is great.”

Of course, there are risks involved like if a line were to break or if there was a need to store additional water in the case of a “major event.”

It was stressed that this initial agreement was less of a legal one and more of what was referred to as a “collaboration” between LUB and the Village’s Public Works Division. The gain here, the board deduced, would come from what the results and analysis from the system and its engineer would say as far as next steps for a larger wastewater system.

The vote to pass through an initial partnership with LUB was a unanimous yes.

In other news, the Tellico Village POA: Voted to indefinitely suspend their $80 water fee, effective July 1, in favor of a fully funded model that will be under review.

Provided updates on the Tanasi rebuild, which is currently slated for completion in the second quarter of 2026, 60 days behind the initial schedule.

The Property Owners Association will hold their next board meeting on Wednesday, July 16, at 1:30 p.m. on the top floor of the Yacht Club at Tellico Village.