The City of Grovetown is petitioning Columbia County to rezone a parcel of land on Parham Road to build a water tower. The Planning Commission approved the request in its meeting on Thursday but not without local opposition.
“I don’t think it’s fair for the residents on Parham Road to have something pushed on us like that,” said Brenda Cooter of Grovetown Thursday. “The city’s coming in to do this. They might need another water tower, but they don’t need it in the county.”
On June 2, Grovetown submitted its request to rezone a parcel of some 7.5 acres at 5221 Parham Rd., which it purchased from Judy Knight in February, from R-A residential agricultural to S special district. The city aims to construct a 100-foot tall, 750,000-gallon water tower and accompanying office space.
According to the narrative document the city included with its rezoning application, the water tower project is part of a $5 million plan to “upgrade the water system in the southeastern portion of the city,” and is “designed to increase capacity to better serve the current residents as well as prepare for future growth.”
The county planning department recommended approval of the rezoning in its staff report, with the condition that the city add a 30-foot structural buffer.
Some residents feel the project would prove invasive. Cooter expressed concerns that the tower might draw from nearby wells, and negatively affect the neighbors’ property values. Larry Jernigan, Grovetown resident and retired operations manager with Columbia County Water Utility, also objected to the rezoning.
“I feel that allowing Grovetown to establish this proposed operational office and water tower sets a precedence which could become harmful to other areas by establishing satellite municipal operations throughout Columbia County,” Jernigan said, calling the city’s acquisition of the land “speculative buying.”
Grovetown Finance Director and Assistant City Administrator Bradley Smith noted to the planning commissioners that the proposed tower would not be drawing from surrounding wells, but from tanks already in the county.
“We are not drilling any additional wells,” Smith said. “This is merely a storage facility that will assist with future growth in south Grovetown, as well as fixing the eastern side of Grovetown, which as pressure issues.”
Ronnie Kurtz, Grovetown’s Director of Planning and Community Development, says the impetus for the water tower project is to “tie into the existing water system of the City of Grovetown and allow for increase in water quality by providing a ring of flow around the main water lines in the city.”
Kurtz and Smith both highlighted that, though a conceptual design has been prepared, the engineering for the water tower project is in its earliest stages. Kurtz addressed concerns by stressing the city engineer’s assurance that the water tank would be designed and constructed in accordance with American Water Works Association Standards.
The Planning Commission ultimately voted unanimously to approve the rezoning. As the commission is a recommending board, the City of Grovetown still have to contend with opposition until the Board of Commissioners are scheduled to vote on the item on July 19.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
