WATER AND SEWER PROJECTS
by Teresa Reed, VP of Advocacy
Tellico Village has many pump/lift stations throughout the village that push our wastewater to its final destination at the LUB treatment plant in Loudon. The main village lift station, also referred to as the Main Pump Station (MPS) located at 444 and Sequoyah Rd. is currently under review for repair or replacement.
Jacobs Engineering provided Tellico Village two options, indicating the estimated cost to rehab the MPS was approximately $2.9M, and the estimated cost to replace the lift station was $3.5M. If Tellico Village elects to replace the lift station, it would qualify for a federal grant worth $2.1M, thus reducing the cost of full replacement to $1.4M, as long as the replacement project is “substantially completed” by September 2026. TVPOA Interim Manager Matt Benoit and Project Manager Scott Macrae are planning to meet with TDEC in the near future to clarify the grant requirements and timeline.
At the March 2025 POA board meeting, the board voted 7-0 to get official bids from 4 contractors used by Jacobs Engineering for the replacement project of the main lift station. Three of those contractors declined to submit a bid due to the tight project timeline. Tellico Village did receive a bid from one contractor, SCI, in the amount of $8.6M, which is much higher than the original estimated cost of $3.5M to replace the main lift station.
Currently, PSAC, POA, and SCI are working cooperatively to verify the bid accuracy. The POA staff and board hope to have updated information within two weeks of the POA’s June board meeting.