The Jamestown Board of Public Utilities discussed a procedural move that will lead to a $5 million water line replacement project in the city.

On Monday, the board approved a resolution authorizing the city of Jamestown to accept the $3 million Drinking Water Infrastructure Improvement grant from the state and to enter into an agreement to borrow $2 million from the state’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

David Leathers, BPU general manager, said the city will borrow $2 million from the state’s revolving loan fund as part of the local match to receive the $3 million grant from the state. Leathers said it’s a low-interest loan. The Jamestown City Council during its Monday voting session meeting also passed a resolution to accept the grant and to borrow money from the state for the project.

Leathers said phase one of the project will happen in 2021 along Washington Street. He said phase two will take place throughout the rest of the city in 2022.

In December, the state announced the grant the BPU received for the project. The water line replacement project will also take place along Hazeltine Avenue, May Street, Strong Street, Juliet Street, Roland Road, Glenview Avenue, LaSalle Street, Mercury Lane, South Everett Avenue, Elm Street, Shady Lane, Harvard Street, Connecticut Street, West End Street, West 18th Street, Langford Street, Gwendolin Avenue and West Virginia Boulevard.

In other business, Leathers discussed the initial meeting Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist and himself had with Patrick McLaughlin, Ellicott supervisor, about a possible water line extension project from Washington Street along Fluvanna Avenue to Townline Road.

Leathers said McLaughlin shared the preliminary designs and cost estimates for the project. Leathers said, according to the water service agreement with the town of Ellicott signed in November 2018, that the town would be responsible for the cost of the project. He added the town will be seeking grants and loans to fund the project.

Earlier this month, McLaughlin said during an Ellicott Town Board meeting that both Sundquist and Leathers were positive about the potential of the project moving forward. McLaughlin said if the project does happen it probably won’t start until 2021 with the project probably not being completed until 2022.

Last month, McLaughlin told The Post-Journal that the project is something town officials have wanted to do for five to six years, but it never came to fruition. He said town officials would like to extend the BPU’s water service along Fluvanna Avenue to Townline Road. He said they would also like to have BPU water service along Strunk Road as far as Interstate 86 and along Old Fluvanna Road. He added that there would be about 100 customers in these areas that the BPU’s water service could be extended to serve.

McLaughlin said about five years ago, town officials surveyed possible customers in the proposed area, and 90% of them wanted BPU water service. He said it will be a costly project, which was estimated five years ago to cost between $1.5 million to $1.7 million. He added town and city officials will have to apply for federal and state grants to do the project.