[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 150 (Tuesday, October 20, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2241-E2242]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 4194, DEPARTMENTS OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND 
HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND INDEPENDENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. ROGER F. WICKER

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 6, 1998

  Mr. WICKER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the VA-HUD-Independent 
Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1999 makes available 
significant funding for economic development grant assistance as part 
of the Community Development Block Grant program.
  The Conference Report to accompany this legislation, House Report 
105-769, on page 248, provides $750,000 to the City of Sardis, 
Mississippi, for the City's planned Water Resources Infrastructure 
Program, a portion of which includes construction of wastewater 
treatment facilities, as noted in the Conference Report.
  I would like to take this opportunity to describe in specific detail 
how the City will use

[[Page E2242]]

the FY 1999 CDBG economic development grant of $750,000.
  The water and wastewater supply facilities in the project area are 
inadequate to support planned developments. Although the distribution 
of potable water and the collection of wastewater within such 
developments are expected to be funded and constructed as components of 
the private developments, these systems will rely upon public 
infrastructure for water supply, storage and transmission, and 
wastewater transportation and treatment.
  For Phase I water supply, the Master Plan recommends construction of 
a 500,000 gallon elevated water storage tank and its accompanying water 
well and 3.5 miles of 12-inch transmission pipelines, at a cost of 
approximately $1.7 million. These facilities will provide up to 1.0 
million gallons per day of water supply for the conference facility, 
hotel, and marina.
  Wastewater service for the Phase I development will consist of the 
necessary sewer pump stations and their related transmission force 
mains to carry the wastewater to the western extremity of the Sardis 
Lake grounds, and gravity sewer main from there westerly to the City's 
existing wastewater treatment lagoon facility. The wastewater 
facilities will include 2 pumping stations with capacities of 1,000 gpm 
each, approximately 4.5 miles of 12-inch forcemain, 2.5 miles of 24-
inch gravity sewer main, and an expansion of the City's existing 
wastewater treatment facility. The probable cost of the wastewater 
improvements is approximately $2.5 million.
  The FY 1999 CDBG grant assistance of $750,000 will be applied to 
planning, engineering, environmental, land acquisition, and 
construction activities related to the Phase I elements of the Program 
outlined above. The City intends that funds remaining from the grant 
following completion of planning, engineering and environmental work 
will be applied for Phase I construction activities until the funds are 
exhausted.
  I look forward to watching the City of Sardis continue its exciting 
development and I trust these remarks will provide sufficient guidance 
to the Department of Housing and Urban Development as to the 
legislative intent for the grant assistance provided to the City of 
Sardis in the Fiscal Year 1999 budget.

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