By CAROLINE CARMICHAEL/ Staff Writer

The Jemison City Council recognized three engineering certification recipients during a City Council meeting on Aug. 7.

Shelby Posey, Mason Miller and Jimmie Porter are officially certified Water Grade Operators through the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.

“We are proud of these three men in our city,” Mayor Eddie Reed said. “All three together make a great team. And due to all the federal state regulations that cities are confronted with, having prepared workers in this area is a plus for us.”

City Administrator Shannon Welch presented the men with their certificates before the Council.

In commending the men for their achievements, Welch explained the nature of the program.

“I’ve personally been through it and got the certification process, and I can assure you [that] you just about have to be a chemical and a mechanical engineer at the same time to do this,” Welch said. “It’s really, really tough.”

Welch said when he was in the program, there was about a 37 percent passing rate statewide for the certification exam.

“And all three of these guys went and took it, and passed it,” he said.

The Council thanked the three men for their hard work.

“You’ve made yourself more valuable—not only to the city, but as an employee in the community—so, that’s great. Thank you,” Rex Bittle of District Four said.

In other business addressed, a resolution was passed for the authorization of CDG Engineers & Associates, Inc. to assist in applying for a sewer grant benefitting a low-to-moderate-income mobile home community in Jemison.

“You’ve got so many septic tanks on one spot of property that the owner is constantly having to have them pumped out,” Welch said.

Welch said much of the sewage has overflowed with the rainy weather.

“The benefit to the city will add approximately 60 homes or more to our sewer system—which, of course, we need to look at adding more to our sewer system to make it more profitable to the city,” Reed said.

The approval initiated an 18-month to two-year process of combined grant procedure and enactment of crucial sewer system modifications, Welch said.

The landowner has requested the city apply for the grant on his behalf because he can’t afford to pay for the sewer himself, Welch said.

The Community Development Block Grant would provide 80 percent of the funding while the city matches 20 percent, the “biggest bulk” of which would be supplied by the property owner, Welch said.

Welch said the city can expect an answer regarding the acceptance or denial of the grant request within 90 to 120 days of submitting the application.

A subsequent resolution was then passed to authorize Community Consultants, Inc. to prepare the paperwork for the sewer project.

Before adjourning, the Council approved an easement allowing Alabama Power to set a pole to supply power to the Marion Bank property.