BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Starke will receive more than $23 million to fund major improvements to its water utility system.
City Manager Drew Mullins said federal and state disaster funds allocated to help communities recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton and mitigate future disasters will allow the project to move forward. He believes it’s the largest amount of money the city has been awarded at once.
Just a few months ago, Justin deMello, a vice president and professional engineer for Woodward and Curran, presented a Drinking Water Financial Improvement Plan for the commission to consider. The city’s engineers were developing strategies to pay for it.
They also applied for wastewater and stormwater projects in addition to the drinking water project. DeMello told the commission the requests totaled more than $100 million.
Often multiple funding sources are tapped, including loans, but Mullins noted that none of the funds from this grant will need to be repaid. City staff was credited with putting together a lot of information in a short amount of time to meet the application deadline.
Woodward and Curran presented drinking water project alternatives in July 2023, and the commission chose partial improvements to both water treatment plants, a new elevated storage tank, and water main and distribution upgrades that include looping the system for improved water pressure.
In September, deMello said 90% of the project design had been completed.
With Woodward and Curran’s assistance, the city has raised millions of dollars in revenue to tackle deferred maintenance and prepare the city’s utilities for the future. Regular rate increases are also contributing to the city’s ability to fund the system, and the commission is considering impact fees that would ensure developers are helping to pay for growth.
