by Geoff Fox
During the October town meeting, town officials were given an update on where things stand with a few projects engineering firm RK&K is doing in regard to the wastewater system upgrade.
One of the things presented to officials was costs going up and the need for a match for a grant.
Last Thursday evening, town officials sat down in public meeting to discuss where the financials were. There was no option for public comments.
RK&K Manager John Cole came back to Hancock for the meeting after bringing project updates to town officials during last month’s town meeting.
Those updates included bids being opened for the Pennsylvania Avenue pump station and the project being over budget, the treatment plant, and collection system.
There were three bids received for the Pennsylvania Avenue pump station – Carl Belt for $1,516,499, another for $1,531,000, and Snyder Environmental.
Cole said RK&K has worked with Snyder before, but they do tend to run higher than the others.
He added Snyder has usually been the only bidder those times.
Mayor Roland Lanehart said the town is familiar with Belt, who was the low bidder, and RK&K has worked with them in the past.
Belt is currently finishing up a project in Paw Paw for RK&K, Cole said, as well as another pump station in Mineral County, W.Va.
“They’re more than qualified to do this pump station rehabilitation project,” Cole said.
Before putting the project out to bid, RK&K did a cost update in May 2026 for the engineering estimate, which came out as $1,510,100.
Cole said they told the agencies they were looking to get financial assistance. The original bid was over $800,000 in 2023.
Right now, the project, in total, is estimated to be $1.9 million with the town being $752,000 short in funding and the town reaching out for additional funding.
The town has the month of November to put together a supplemental package for that $752,000, Cole said. The person helping won’t have to have their papers submitted by December 4.
The town is asking the USDA and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for the full amount to be allotted to them and hope for a 50/50 split or some kind of split between the two agencies.
Cole said there is an ask from the CDBG, which he mentioned at the town meeting, asking if the town could come to the table with any additional funding. Right now the town is looking at $11,000.
“If you come up with an amount that you think you can do, then I’ll share that with the two agencies,” Cole said.
Town Manager Michael Faith said the entire project was fully funded prior to inflation hitting the country.
He said the two agencies asking for the match is them asking the town to have some skin in the game as it is their project.
The town has money in the RedSpeed account, which is used for police; money in the Trulieve account; and CDs, which are the town’s rainy-day fund.
Councilman Joshua McCusker said the town really can’t use the Trulieve funds.
Lanehart said the Trulieve money had been talked about as use for street repair, but some of it could be used toward the pump station project. Faith said there would be funds available for street repair from highway user revenue.
Councilman David Kerns tossed out the town contributing $100,000, which Lanehart said he was going to suggest half that.
“If we say $100,000, what’s that going to say to them,” he said. “I feel that’s our responsibility.”
McCusker said if the town were to go $50,000, would there be room to negotiate, but Lanehart said $62,000 or something odd to start.
Cole has emphasized to the agencies that Hancock is a small town and strapped with their budget.
Since it was a special meeting, town officials agreed to offer an additional $64,000 along with the $11,000, for a total of $75,000, for the Pennsylvania Avenue pump station project.
Town officials then moved to the collection system and funds available for that project.
The collection system, Cole said, would run $8 million for phase one. This would be getting Lanco (now PennlandPure) hooked into the system and to the wastewater treatment plant.
There is interest for funding the design from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) with a 50/50 match. There’s also interest from CDBG in funding, but there is funding for the pump station.
The contact at the CDBG wants the town to take everything in stride as the town can get back with the increase for the pump station.
“Once we get that one locked in on Pennsylvania [Avenue], then we’ll reapproach and have a conversation with CDBG as to the match for ARC,” Cole said.
The town doesn’t have forever, but the town must keep ARC in the loop.
Cole said if the town wants him to keep pursuing those funds, he will but the town can’t sit by idly by waiting for the congressional funding.
There was no action made on that project during the meeting.
Lanehart said the town should continue to meet with county commissioners and “maybe some of our delegates” regarding the project.
