Jeffersonville, IN (February 22, 2022) – During its monthly meeting, the River Ridge Development Authority authorized Executive Director Jerry Acy to negotiate an agreement with the City of Jeffersonville to help finance a planned expansion of the city’s North Wastewater Treatment Plant. The resolution passed allows Executive Director Acy to negotiate an agreement that “assures immediate, ongoing, and continuing wastewater treatment services for the Jeffersonville portion of the RRCC in exchange for an RRDA contribution.”
The plant, which is located within the River Ridge Commerce Center on land donated to the city by the RRDA, provides wastewater treatment services to industries and businesses located in the Jeffersonville section of River Ridge as well as about 10,000 acres of Jeffersonville located outside the River Ridge Commerce Center.
Jeffersonville leaders have indicated in recent months that the city needs to expand the treatment plant to accommodate the continued growth of major commercial, industrial, and residential developments in the areas in and around River Ridge. The city also has asked River Ridge’s board to commit financial support for an expansion project.
The bulk of River Ridge’s funding to support the Jeffersonville treatment plant expansion would come from proceeds from the planned new 2022 bond issue. During the meeting, the board approved a resolution declaring its intent to issue the bonds, which would fund property acquisition, construction of infrastructure, redevelopment, and economic development improvements.
“River Ridge has continued to make smart investments in infrastructure and development – investments intended to spur growth in and around the Commerce Center,” Acy said. “We are excited that we are again able to support our local government partners in a project that will benefit our River Ridge businesses and serve the immense growth in Jeffersonville that has occurred adjacent to the River Ridge Commerce Center.”
In addition to the expected contribution to support the Jeffersonville wastewater treatment plant project, River Ridge leaders have worked with the cities of Jeffersonville and Charlestown to seek additional funding for wastewater treatment facilities that support growth at River Ridge. That work led to inclusions of the projects in a $50 million request for a Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) grant. The State of Indiana announced in December that the Our Southern Indiana Regional Development Authority would be awarded the grant, and the funding is expected to be split among numerous projects included in the grant application.
Continued investment in infrastructure
In other business, the RRDA approved plans for additional investments in infrastructure projects to support ongoing development at the RRCC.
The list of investments approved by the RRDA included:
- A contract not to exceed $1,213,795 with United Consulting for design services for two sections of roadway improvements along Jim Lewis Avenue and Penny Martin Lane, located on the north end of the River Ridge Commerce Center in Charlestown. The contract includes topographic survey of the proposed route; geotechnical investigation along the proposed route and sanitary lift station locations; engineering design; permitting and bidding services; and construction administration required to construct the improvements.
- A lump-sum contract totaling $97,500 with JTL Engineering to complete sanitary sewer construction and design documents related to the Jim Lewis and Penny Martin project. JTL will coordinate with United Consulting; design, plan, and produce specifications; conduct a topographic survey for a lift station site; manage permitting; provide bidding services for sanitary sewer construction; and provide construction administration.