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Butler County's largest wastewater treatment upgrade under way

$41.5M project expected to take 30 months; permit fees in question.

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By Michael D. Pitman, Staff Writer 1:05 AM Tuesday, March 8, 2011

HAMILTON — The largest expansion project in the Butler County Water and Sewer Department’s history will begin this month.

The $41.5 million project will expand and upgrade the Lesourdsville Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant off Ohio 4 in Lemon Twp. along the Great Miami River, said Bob Leventry, director of the department.

The electric contract for the 30-month project was awarded during Monday’s county commission meeting.

Leventry said a groundbreaking will be in April.

Fees for the project’s building permit issued in 2010 were waived based on a nonexistent policy, said Butler County Department of Development Director Michael Juengling.

Those fees would have totaled about $375,000, however, Juengling said his department has not been able to find documentation of the policy that calls for waiving the permit costs.

“There’s been a long-standing policy to waive building the permit fees for the water and sewer department,” said Juengling. “It was here before I arrived (in 1991).”

The question of the policy came to Juengling’s attention through a building department employee who noticed the permit fees were waived for this plant expansion, Juengling said.

Commissioners made no decision Monday, but it appeared they were leaning toward nixing the informal policy.

However, before doing so, Commissioner Chuck Furmon asked to make sure water and sewer rates won’t be raised.

Leventry said he has yet to calculate the impact the building fees would have on rates but said, “I do not believe it will have a significant impact going forward.”

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