Published: June 01, 2009 10:28 pm      

Court approves data transfer

GREENUP — Greenup Fiscal Court on Monday took action aimed at facilitating the transition between engineering firms overseeing the next extension of Greenup’s water line network.

The court approved a measure authorizing Woolpert LLP to transfer its plans for the extension, known as Phase 8, to Howerton Engineering & Surveying of Greenup.

Woolpert was the original engineer for the project, which has been in the works for several years and has run into a number of snags, including the state requiring that a hydraulic study be completed on the water system to determine the source of pressure problems before it would give its go-ahead

After a pair of contentious meetings last week, the Greenup City Council voted to hire Howerton as the engineer for Phase 8, even though a screening panel recommended that the job be awarded to HDR Engineering, the Lexington firm that did the hydraulic study.

According to Greenup Judge-Executive Bobby Carpenter, the fiscal court had to sign off on the data transfer because it has partnered with the city in extending water lines to the rural areas of Greenup County. The county has applied for federal and state grant funds for the lines in years which the city was not eligible to do so.

Carpenter said the court’s approval of the measure authorizing the transfer was essentially a formality. He also said the transfer would relieve Woolpert of any liabilities it might have.

Other firms considered for the Phase 8 engineering job included E.L. Robinson, which has offices in several states including one in Ironton and HMB of Frankfort, which offered its proposal in conjunction with Diamond Engineering of Greenup.

Phase 8 will supply water to residents of the Schultz area in western Greenup County.

KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654.