The Grays Knob sewer extension project will begin soon following receipt of a $134,706 PRIDE Wastewater Construction Grant.

PRIDE Executive Director Richard Thomas presented a ceremonial check to Harlan Mayor Danny Howard and KCEOC representative Miles Estes.

The PRIDE grant will be used to fund part of a $538,824 project, which will extend service to 125 homes, the KCEOC Child Development Center, which serves 150 children, and Hall Elementary School, which has 250 students.

The KCEOC's new Head Start facility serves ages 0-5 and is part of the KCEOC Community Action Partnership.

“I commend the city and KCEOC for pursuing a sewer project that will benefit local homeowners, as well as the environment that we all share,” said Congressman Hal Rogers (KY-5), PRIDE co-founder. “Public service is the most reliable way to treat wastewater, and I'm sure homeowners will gain peace of mind when they connect to this new sewer line.”

The city of Harlan and the Harlan County Board of Education have each earmarked a matching $134,706 to complete the project. Howard said the city will use part of its coal severance tax money to fund its portion of the cost.

Howard said he had been informed the Harlan County Schools had set aside money from a FEMA grant received for flood repair as a result of the March 2002 flooding.

“The exciting thing is this line will eliminate a portable package plan in addition to all the maintenance. That's quite expensive at this time,” Howard said.

PRIDE has awarded over $1.7 million to five communities in southern and eastern Kentucky through the Wastewater Construction Grant program this fall. The projects will extend sewer service to 587 homes, about half of which currently rely on malfunctioning septic systems or “straight pipes” that send sewage into nearby waterways.

A portable package plan is actually a self-contained small system which handles a small amount of sewage where no sewer system is available. The Hall school package plant has failed to work properly due to the age of the system and the amount of volume it has to process, according to County Judge-Executive Joe Grieshop.

The PRIDE Wastewater Construction Grant program pays up to 100 percent of the cost to install new sewer lines. The program is intended to replace straight pipes and failing septic systems by making sewer service available to more people.