I-85 sewer major stride

Chris Eleazer, executive director of the Oconee Joint Regional Sewer Authority, affixed his signature this morning to a document that officially notifies a contractor that its bid for the I-85 corridor sewer expansion is successful.  The bid of $12.3 million represents much more than county officials had earlier projected, but inflation is liable to be a chief reason.  The notice of award, signed by Eleazer, is not the actual contract with Don Moorhead Construction, but the small group that gathered this morning was assured it’s only a matter of a short time to sign the contract.  The JRSA, with the help of some outside government funding sources, is confident it can meet the cost of running pipe from the Golden Corner Commerce Park through the village of Fair Play to connect I-85 exits.  Property owners there, for years, have waited for the necessary infrastructure to develop their properties in a way that’ll mean new jobs and an enhanced tax base for county government.   In Oconee’s agriculture trove, several farmers are opposed or, at the least, concerned.  They worry that development that follows sewer pipes in the ground will take away from their livelihoods and impinge on a comfortable rural style of life.