On September 27, 2021 at 2:00 p.m., Caledonia’s elected officials, staff, contractors, and guests celebrated the groundbreaking for Caledonia’s new wastewater treatment facility. Participants included Senator Jeremy Miller, Representative Greg Davids, Mayor DeWayne “Tank” Schroeder, Councilmember David Fitzpatrick, Councilmember Robert “Bob Klug,” Councilmember Amanda Ninneman, City Clerk/Administrator Adam Swann, Public Works/Zoning Director Casey Klug, Project Engineer Eric Lynne (of Donohue & Associates), Project Manager Pat Doyle (of Wapasha Construction Co.), and Wapasha Construction Co. President Thomas Peplinski.
Mayor Schroeder and Clerk/Administrator Swann thanked Senator Miller and Representative Davids for helping the City obtain a $7,000,000 direct appropriation for the project from the State of Minnesota in 2020. The direct appropriation will reduce future rate increases for single-family residential customers by an estimated $19.20 per month for 20 years and will reduce future rate increases by a much larger amount for commercial and industrial users.
The new wastewater treatment facility is anticipated to be completed by fall 2023. The construction cost is estimated to be $13,529,000 based on the bid accepted from Wapasha Construction Co., and the total project cost is estimated to be $16,122,889, including all engineering, legal, and administrative costs.
In addition to the $7,000,000 direct appropriation from the State of Minnesota, the project is being funded in part by a $821,794 grant from the Minnesota Public Facility Authority’s Green Project Reserve Fund. The remainder of the project cost is being paid for by a 20-year loan (with a 1% fixed interest rate) from the Minnesota Public Facility Authority’s Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund.
