MURFREESBORO – The expansion of the Murfreesboro Wastewater Treatment Facility is on its way, even if there have been a few bumps in the road.

Instead of moving ahead with the construction of the irrigation system, the town will have to tackle wastewater facility expansion project as a whole.

On Tuesday at their regular meeting, the council took the first step in a loan application package process by approving a resolution.

In a special meeting of the Murfreesboro Town Council held on Friday, Feb. 9, board members were informed that Bobby Blowe of North Carolina Construction, Loans and Grants would not approve council to move ahead with the construction of the irrigation system.

“If we do the spray field we have to do the lagoon to get out from under the moratorium,” said Town Administrator Molly Eubank.

Previously, Blowe had told the council they could seek approval and begin construction of the irrigation system with town funds to be reimbursed. This was to speed up the expansion project while the approval of a lagoon was being delayed by a wetlands issue.

Since then the town has accumulated all of the permits for the project.

Blowe informed the council that because all permits have been issued, instead of moving ahead with just the irrigation system, the town would have to move forward with the entire project.

Blowe said there are loan funds available for the project.

Each of the board members posed questions and discussed the topic during the meeting.

“There is nothing we can do but to alert you on the bid procedures,” said Eubank to the board.

Engineer Robert Graham of George Finch/Boney and Associates was in attendance at Tuesday’s regular meeting to answer the board’s questions.

“So it will be another year to get out from under the moratorium?” asked council member Lloyd Hill.

“It would be at the end of 2007,” said Graham.

Graham said that if Construction, Loans and Grants received the town’s loan application by the beginning of March then that entity could vote on the application at their next meeting on April 3.

Graham said he would have the figures for the application by the end of the week.

The wastewater facility expansion project has been on going for a number of years in the town.

After purchasing more than 400 acres of land from International Paper, the town was able to begin to expand the facility.

In order for the expansion, the town had to utilize a wetland area to create a spray field and a lagoon.