Dorin Oxender, Caleb Stillwell, and Joshua Badillo-Jimenez were invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the upgrades at the Wastewater Treatment Plant for the town of Andrews on March 23.
The Project
The groundbreaking ceremony marked the upgrades and modernization of the town's Wastewater Treatment Plant, whose facilities date back to the 1950s. The town is working with a longtime partner, McGill Associates. This $15 million project will add improvements to many of the existing tanks and a secondary clarifier, as well as add many new features, such as an oxidation ditch, sludge processing & storage area, RAS/WAS pump station, an electrical control building, and a general control building. Not long ago, an influent pump station was added to the plant.
The project will be constructed by the Haren Construction Company. The project was funded by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. It has an estimated completion date of early 2027.
The Event
A quick ceremony, our very own Mayor James Reid, who is the DLA teacher at AHS, gave opening remarks. "This is a long time coming," said Mayor Reid. After his opening statement, Joel Storrow of McGill Associates spoke on the project overview and the timeline of this project. Keith Webb, the Vice President of McGill, spoke on the project scope. Mayor Reid came back to the podium to give closing remarks. He also spotlighted the board of aldermen and the contributions they have made to the project, and for their hard work serving on the board.
Following the presentation, the shoveling occurred. The first round was of the McGill team, the Haren team, Tim Wood, the manager for the plant, a member of the NCDEQ, and Mayor Reid. The second round was of the board of aldermen, the town clerk, and the public works director.
Following the ceremony, a lunch was held at the PB Ferebee Community Center for the ceremony attendees, as well as town workers. This was an opportunity for everyone to get to know each other and learn more about the project, and to get everyone's feedback.
Significance of AHS's Presence
Mayor Reid called out the AHS attendees, noting that the project not only affects the small group of people at the ceremony, but all residents of the town. It is a great opportunity for some community members to see some progress in the town. We all look forward to this project and the good it will bring.
All photos by Joshua Badillo-Jimenez, Andrews High School Marketing Specialist