BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — The Martin County Fiscal Court in a special session Friday authorized Judge/Executive Lon Lafferty to execute application documents for Government Resources Accelerating Needed Transformation grants. This funding will support the expansion of the Honey Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant’s capacity from 1 million gallons per day to 2 million gallons per day.
Paintsville Utilities owns the facility located on Johns Creek Road in Hager Hill, which serves the Honey Branch Industrial Park and the federal prison in Martin County. Currently the plant is operating at about 60% of its capacity, according to Judge Lafferty.
“If there is any new industry that comes in, that capacity will not be enough,” Lafferty said. “By expanding the capacity it will bring in Thunder Ridge and all the way down to the old Combs Airport. It’s a regional economic development plan that will be funded by five different grants. Martin County’s match would be 2%.”
The GRANT program is a state matching fund designed to help entities leverage federal resources.
Deputy Judge/Executive Carolea Mills mentioned that Martin County would contribute $24,000 in matching funds for the $17 million project.
District 5 Magistrate Ronald Workman inquired whether all five Big Sandy counties – Martin, Johnson, Floyd, Magoffin and Pike – would be involved.
“They get part of our occupational tax, so I was just asking,” Workman said.
“Yes, they will, unless they choose not to be a part of it. It is optional,” Mills replied. “That is a small amount for such a large project. Because of the house bill that the state has, the state will put in most of the matching funds.”
Lafferty also mentioned meetings with county attorneys from Johnson and Floyd counties, who needed to receive Martin County’s resolutions by June 1.
“We are increasing our odds of being able to increase economic development,” said Lafferty.
The Paintsville Herald reported in August 2023 that Bell Engineering had completed a study of the Honey Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant. Bell Engineering President Kelly Gillespie presented the findings to the Paintsville Utilities Commission in a meeting Aug. 7, 2023.
According to the newspaper, Gillespie stated, “Capacity assessment … In summary, we are recommending an upgrade to the treatment facility from a one million gallon per day to a two million gallon capacity. You’re going to be exceeding probably around 65-percent of your capacity, when you have a project that redirects Mayo Plaza and sends that flow to Honey Branch, so you’re going to be pushing close to 70-percent capacity when that flow gets there and also bringing in Powell Addition and Van Lear areas … It’s really not leaving you room to expand for future economic development.”