A sewer project may not be the most exciting thing to celebrate but for the residents of Tintown, a neighborhood in Bisbee off of Highway 92, it represents the completion of a years-long $2 million improvement in their community.
The idea for the project dates back to 2009, said city public works director Tom Klimek. Actual construction began on July 7, 2014, and now, just over a year later, the old neighborhood no longer has to rely on septic tanks with leach fields and cesspools. The new sewer system for wastewater even has a solar powered lift station and was paid for completely with grants.
Bisbee Mayor Ron Oertle, along with several members of the city council, former council members, city employees, residents and representatives from all of the agencies involved gathered out at the site behind Double P Roadhouse on Friday morning for a ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion of the project, which came complete with a cake shaped like a toilet (and slices of cake for attendees to take.)
“This was a long and difficult project,” Mayor Oertle before thanking each of the partners, as well as the residents of Tintown for supporting the project even as it interrupted their neighborhood.
Alex Hinojosa, Deputy Managing Director of NADBank, a binational bank owned 50 percent by Mexico and 50 percent by the U.S. described the bank’s involvement in the project. The bank provided $1 million in grant money used for most of the construction of the project.
He explained that the bank funds infrastructure projects with an environmental angle like landfills, street paving, solar and wind projects, and air quality projects.
He described the challenging terrain at the Bisbee project.
“To help these smaller communities who need the assistance is very rewarding,” he said.
Attendees included the oldest resident of Tintown, Alonzo O. Figueroa, 83, who said he has spent his whole life living in the community, except for two years in the Army from 1953 to 1955.
“Tintown is in pretty good shape right now,” said Public Works Director Tom Klimek. “They have new water lines, new sewer, and new gas,” he said. “What we need now is flood control and paving.”
He said the city applied for a Community Development Block Grant to fund some other projects.
The Tintown Sanitary Sewer project is built on land owned by Freeport MacMoRan, which gave the city a permanent perpetual easement for the project.
Total cost of the project was $300,000 for the preliminary work and $1.7 million for construction.
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