PRINCE EDWARD – County supervisors, who agreed to publish details of a proposed water project that would tap into the Sandy River Reservoir in The Herald, will hold a series of informational meetings after the information is published in each of the County's districts.

“We need, as a board, to reach out to our public and let them know everything that we know and this is the only way I know to do it,” said Board Chairman William “Buckie” Fore, who presented the proposal to fellow board members last week.

The detailed information on the background of the project will be printed in The Herald's Free News this week (received in mailboxes Tuesdays) as well as The Herald's Friday edition. Citizens are expected to have an opportunity to ask specific questions about the proposed project at the announced meetings.

The following schedule has been announced:

Lockett District, 7 p.m. April 26 at the Rice Volunteer Fire Department.

Prospect District, 7 p.m. April 28 at the Prospect Volunteer Fire Department.

Hampden District, 7 p.m. May 2 at the Hampden-Sydney Volunteer Fire Department.

Buffalo District, 7 p.m. May 3 at the Darlington Heights Volunteer Fire Department.

Leigh District, 7 p.m. May 5 at the Prince Edward County Middle School.

Farmville District, 7 p.m. May 9 at the Prince Edward County courthouse in the circuit court room. (One meeting will be held for the three Farmville districts.)

The County was presented an unsolicited proposal-under the PPEA, or Public Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002, localities may receive unsolicited proposals from private firms-and supervisors continue to take a deeper look into the specifics of a water project as outlined in an interim agreement.

The proposed project factors the construction of an intake, water treatment facility and service lines extending to serve an area south of Farmville to Hampden-Sydney and east to Crewe. The intake structure is penciled in with an eight million gallons (MGD) per day intake infrastructure capacity and there would be an easily expandable two MGD treatment facility (located about a half mile from the reservoir) that could be upgraded to four MGD.

The final estimate for the project presented to the board-factoring Crewe and Burkeville's participation-earlier this year stood at $24,879,000, though there were also estimated project indirect costs of $841,900.