LEBANON, Tenn. (WSMV) – The City of Lebanon is one step closer to getting a new wastewater facility.
Council members spent over an hour Wednesday establishing the framework they will use to rank the 15 different location options for the upcoming plant.
They said they’d look at how each site would impact the community, environment and existing infrastructure. They’re also reviewing the property’s size, how it impacts nearby sewer growth areas and how much it would cost the city to buy.
Related: Lebanon mayor announces committee to select wastewater treatment site
People in both the city and Wilson County expressed frustration with the plant selection process.
“From what I heard, you’re a long way from being ready to actually go through the metrics, because you have to have all the criteria understood and each of the sites understood by everybody here before you can even think about ranking it,” one commenter said during the meeting. “It’s a big task with this many sites.”
Another resident worried that leaders would get so focused about the logistics that they’d forget the community impact.
“So while you’re setting your criteria today, and I’m sitting here listening to that, there’s a lot about topography, maps, acreage,” another resident said. “But I didn’t hear a lot, really, about the human factor.”
Wednesday’s meeting wasn’t about actually choosing a spot, but instead, about what council members will need to consider in order to choose a spot. They also working on determining how long they’ll need to take to actually make that decision.
It comes after Mayor Rick Bell announced earlier this month that he is creating a committee to help select the location for the next wastewater treatment facility.
The next meeting where council members will talk about this wastewater plant will be Tuesday, June 2 at 4 p.m.
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