- Construction of a new $80 million wastewater treatment plant in Newberry began with a partnership with neighboring Archer, sharing the 1.2-million-gallon capacity.
- The plant will be completed in 2.5-3 years and funded mainly by developer fees and state grants, including grants to pump wastewater from Archer to the facility.
Construction for a new $80 million wastewater treatment facility in Newberry will now commence following a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday.
State, county and city officials gathered in a vacant field at the site (26204 SW 18th Road) to celebrate the project’s regional partnership between Newberry and neighboring Archer, who will also tap into the plant’s 1.2-million-gallon capacity.
Crews expect to complete the facility in two and a half to three years and incorporate modular structures into the design for future expansions.
Newberry Mayor Tim Marden said the city’s growth will pay for itself because facility costs are covered primarily through impact and permit fees paid by incoming developers as well as grants from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Archer also received grants to cover its $12 million share for 15% of the plant’s capacity, according to Archer Deputy City Manager John Martin. Project partners include the Suwannee River Water Management District, Wright-Pierce, Woodard & Curran and AtkinsRéalis engineering and Baker Water System, Inc.
Alachua County Board of County Commissioners Chair Ken Cornell said the plant will continue to put western Alachua County on the map for decades to come as it supports new ventures like the F-300 AgFoodTech Innovation Park, which recently had its inaugural investor, Harvest Singularity, break ground this spring.
“We’re a strong believer that strong cities make a strong county,” Cornell said. “So, congratulations, Archer. Congratulations, Newberry.”
Multiple speakers on Thursday credited Newberry Assistant City Manager Jamie Jones with seeing the wastewater facility project through from the beginning.
Jones said former City Manager Mike New, who attended the groundbreaking with new employer Woodard & Curran, directed staff to start the project in 2017.
When preliminary cost estimates for expanding Newberry’s current 600,000-gallon capacity facility raised financial feasibility concerns, a partnership with the city of Archer was forged.
Cornell said the facility will be an advanced improvement because of its ability to convert the biosolids into soil additives with a Life Soils composting facility on site.
He also said Archer’s commitment would keep taxpayer costs lower and help protect the environment by removing more septic tanks from the ground.
Archer Mayor Fletcher Hope said he’d been asked a lot if his financially recovering municipality could afford the upgrade. But he said if the city didn’t grow, it would die, and that he was excited to help move a project combating that forward.
“Being a very small municipality, to have a regional recognition of municipal co-partnership, I think, has brought attention in the state, and I think in the southeast United States,” Hope said.
State Rep. Chad Johnson and state Sen. Stan McClain also said growth was inevitable and needed to be planned for. McClain said although wastewater facilities aren’t always the most glamorous projects, this one translated into economic opportunity because it allowed both cities to keep growing.
Jones pointed out his dark blue denim overalls and said he wore them intentionally to the groundbreaking. He said he wanted to celebrate the hard work that had been done to get to Thursday and recognize the hard work ahead to get the plant through the finish line.
“There’s an old quote that says opportunity is often missed by most people, but it’s dressed in overalls and looks like work,” Jones said. “I just did not want to miss this opportunity. In the spirit of this community’s agricultural roots, we put on our overalls and we get to work.”
