The station has to be replaced as part of a 2011 agreement with Lexington and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to fix problems with the city’s sewer systems and stormwater treatment plants. It currently sits on land owned by Fayette County Public Schools.
Last year, owners of Mill Ridge Farm came to council members with a proposal to build a replacement pump on their property, outside Lexington’s current urban service boundary. They say moving the station downstream would help mitigate sewage overflows, and could help preserve 25 acres of wetlands.
“This is a chance to solve a problem correctly, not just adequately, to remediate a decade of sewage overflows, restore a wetland, lower the cost of housing and build infrastructure design for where Lexington is going, not just where it has been,” farm owner Price Bell said.
Other horse farmers and preservationists were concerned that the project would necessitate expanding the urban boundary, causing a backdoor for private development in Fayette County’s rural areas. Brittany Roethemeier is the director of Fayette Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy group.
“Mill Ridge intends to develop their farm,” Roethemeier said. “They've told the majority of you all about it. The farm is outside the urban service boundary, and now, today, you're evaluating a decision to relocate the sewer to the very same property.”
According to the city, upgrades at the current site would cost $19.6 million. Building at the Mill Ridge site would have cost between $27.3 million-$29.3 million. Another proposal to build a replacement near the Blue Grass Airport was scrapped because of cost concerns.
Some council members, as well as Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton, pointed out the cheaper cost as a reason not to relocate.
“We need to focus on the most fiscally responsible choice that checks all the boxes, and that is Mint Lane, which has been the original plan all long because of cost concerns,” Gorton said.
Council voted 10-5 to upgrade the pump station. The city will have to negotiate with Fayette County Public Schools for the adjacent land needed to build out the facilities.
