City of Jenkins in Letcher County Receives $1,000,000 Grant from Appalachian Regional Commission to Complete Waterline Replacement ProjectFinal Phase of Program Will Provide Reliable Water Service and Reduce Water System Maintenance CostsFRANKFORT, Ky. (October 10, 2019) – The Department for Local Government (DLG) has announced a grant of $1,000,000 to the City of Jenkins in Letcher County, funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), that will allow the City of Jenkins to complete the fifth and final phase of a project to replace all of the aging waterlines in and around the City.
“Reliable, modern infrastructure is vital not only for the safety and well-being of our communities, but also to foster economic growth,” said Gov. Bevin. “We are grateful to the ARC and DLG for this significant investment in Jenkins, and we applaud the community for diligently working to complete this important project.”
The project will replace aging waterlines in the project area to eliminate frequent disruptions in service and costly repairs due to breaks. The existing system was constructed in the 1960’s and was not appropriately mapped. While major breaks are addressed with repairs, it is impossible to find and repair all of the suspected minor leaks and points of potential contamination.
The waterlines in the project area are over 60 years old. Because of their deteriorated condition, customers experience frequent disruptions in the service and the city incurs high maintenance costs. Two alternatives that were considered – deleting the leaking waterlines from the system, and continuing to repair them in a piecemeal fashion – were deemed unacceptable.
The new waterline will run along Highway 805 and down 19 roads off of the main line. The project will replace approximately 17,685 linear feet of PVC pipes of varying diameters and will replace existing radio read meters with updated meters.
“With this funding, the multi-phase vision to fully replace the water infrastructure of the City of Jenkins will be complete, allowing for uninterrupted water service and a reduction in operation and maintenance costs,” said DLG Commissioner Sandra Dunahoo. “The DLG is very pleased that at the final stage of this project, the residents and businesses of Jenkins will see a stabilization of water rates and a significant improvement in the efficiency of the water system.”
About the Appalachian Regional Commission
The Appalachian Regional Commission is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC's mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the Region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.
About the Department for Local Government
Funds are administered by DLG, an arm of the Office of the Governor dedicated to supporting local officials and communities. To learn more about the grant opportunities available through DLG, visit http://kydlgweb.ky.gov/.
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