FARMVILLE – Town Council met in closed session last week with legal and financial advisors to continue discussions on creating a Town Water Authority.

Town Council went into closed session under Sec. 2.2-3711.A.3 of the Code of Virginia for the discussion or consideration of the disposition of publicly held property.

Town manager Gerald Spates confirmed to The Herald that the discussion was about the water authority.

Ted Cole, of Davenport, and Richmond attorney Meade Spotts provided Town officials with information behind closed doors on creation of such an authority

Progress continues being made and, though the Town would be pleased with a pre-Christmas announcement, a public unveiling of the authority is expected no later than early in the new year.

The Town will invite Prince Edward County to join as a member with a seat on the authority-with no financial obligation on the part of the County.

Farmville officials announced the authority plan in October when the Town pulled out of negotiations with Prince Edward County over a proposed water authority they would create together and also based on the Town's water and sewer treatment plants.

Under the Town's initiative all of Farmville's water and sewer infrastructure assets would go into the authority, with decision-making power invested in the authority rather than Town Council.

There are expected to be citizen members, in addition to the invitation for the County to seat a member.

The Sandy River Reservoir is still considered the primary long-term water supply source though the Town, at this stage, apparently doesn't foresee any immediate steps to tap the reservoir and pipe the water to Farmville's treatment plant.

But Town Manager Gerald Spates said publicly, when making the authority announcement last month, “I think that that is one of the primary options. I think it's probably the number one option that we would hopefully utilize, be able to utilize, Sandy River Reservoir.”

And he confirmed his belief in that scenario to The Herald last week.