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Norman Park officials prepare to symbolically break ground for an expansion to the city's wastewater treatment facility Thursday.From left are council members Sam Brown, Waylon Stuckey and Clayton Sims Jr.; Mayor Bruce Norton; and council members Sandy Hurst and Greg Harrell.

Norman Park officials prepare to symbolically break ground for an expansion to the city's wastewater treatment facility Thursday.From left are council members Sam Brown, Waylon Stuckey and Clayton Sims Jr.; Mayor Bruce Norton; and council members Sandy Hurst and Greg Harrell.

NORMAN PARK, Ga. — Members of the Norman Park City Council held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday afternoon for improvements at the town’s wastewater treatment facility.

The work will be funded by a massive grant announced in February. The city is receiving almost $5.5 million for five water and wastewater projects, according to the initial grant announcement from the governor’s office:

• Construction of new water pollution control plant components, including new headworks, aeration basin, clarifier, operations building and back-up generator.

• Rehabilitation of approximately 9,900 linear feet of vitrified clay sanitary sewer and 30 brick manholes to prevent inflow and infiltration of stormwater into the sewer system.

• Reconstruction of one lift station and rehabilitation of one sewage lift station, including installation of back-up generators.

• Rehabilitation of the existing elevated water storage tank to remove lead paint and repair rust and deterioration.

• Rehabilitation of Well #1 including construction of a new chemical feed building with safety measures and a back-up generator and installation of a back-up generator at Well #2.

“We’ve been working on this 10 years,” said Norman Park Mayor Bruce Norton. “This plant is a 1971 model. … It’s worn out. We knew it was worn out. … We’ve just been hanging on for years like a lot of little towns, repairing and repairing.”

Norton said the city has to add oxygen to the wastewater plant’s outflow under an order from the state Environmental Protection Division, and the EPD tests three times a week to make sure the city’s in compliance.

Despite Thursday’s ceremony, the timing of construction on the wastewater plant is uncertain. The council must still commission a study of the land it purchased for the expansion, Norton said, but plans were already submitted to the state as part of the city’s application for the $5.5 million grant, so that’s one time-consuming hurdle out of the way.

He said the council intends for another project on the list — sandblasting of Norman Park’s water tower — to be done before the end of the year.

Norman Park’s $5.5 million grant was part of $422 million distributed to water and wastewater projects by the State of Georgia from federal funds related to the coronavirus pandemic.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — Millions of dollars are about to flow into South Georgia to repair or replace water and sewer systems.

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