The city of Jamestown dedicated the new Jamestown Water Treatment Plant at a ceremony last Thursday at the site of the multi-million dollar expansion, signaling the final steps in the construction process.

More than 50 distinguished guests attended the dedication, with the two key note speakers being Rep. Jeff Hoover and Sen. Vernie McGaha.

Jamestown Mayor Brooks Bates welcomed those in attendance after an invocation by Bro. Tony Stephens from the Jamestown Christian Church.

"This is something we are really proud of," Bates said to the crowd. "This is something that will benefit the whole county."

Bates said the EPA had recently granted the city's request to go from producing 4.6 million gallons of water a day to 6 million gallons a day, where the output stands now.

"Without too much tweaking, it can go up to 8 million," the mayor said.

Rep. Hoover said the facility would help to serve the needs of this county and Adair and Casey counties as well, who also buy their water from Jamestown.

Fruit of the Loom uses around 1.2 million gallons of water per day while the city of Russell Springs uses just over 1 million gallons per day.

Hoover also thanked Russell County resident Paul Walkup, and others who have since passed, for their dedication to the beginnings of this project many years ago.

"We can be very proud of what goes on in Russell County," Hoover said. "There is not a community in the state that works together, that is more progressive and is more proud of their community than Russell County."

Sen. McGaha echoed Hoover's sentiments and said that in order for the county to attract industry that it must have a solid infrastructure and part of that is water.

"We want to keep our best and brightest here and one way we do that is with our infrastructure," McGaha said. "Let's enjoy our water."

The main intake pumps water from Greasy Creek on Lake Cumberland to the treatment plant in Jamestown and supplies water to both Jamestown and Russell Springs, as well as Adair County and portions of eastern Casey County.

The expansion on the plant began in 2004 when funding started to become available and replaces the old plant which was used for more than four decades. Originally, the expansion price was around $9 million but went up $4 million as the project grew.

Bates recognized many folks who had a hand in the completion of the project, including the general contractor, Reynold, Inc. and plant district manager John Griffith along with plant division vice chairman Carl Arvin, Kenvirons, Inc, the engineering company, and resident inspector Bo Ellison, vice president Vaughn Williams, vice president Carlos Miller and president Randall Russell, G. Scott and Associates and architect Craig Assoy, Southern Sales and Manson Clement, GE Water and Process Technologies and H. Craig Brown, the regional lifecycle manager, Jack Davis Electric and Jack Davis and Leroy Antle, Rural Development with area specialist Kevin Antle and public information coordinator Katherine Belcher, the Lake Cumberland Area Development District with community development specialist Waylon Wright and executive director Donna Diaz, the division of water and Noah Taylor, Brian Crump, Crystal Davis, Sara Sproles and C.J. Bailey, Fruit of the Loom, the plant's largest consumer, with general manager Jeff Wiles, Roger Garner, Jay Price and Brad Cooper, Director of the Russell County Industrial Authority Gene Royalty, Pulbic Works Director Ottis Skagss, and city clerks Kim Weston and Debbie Conner and the office staff of Jamestown City Hall and tourism director John Carter and plant superintendent Dale Anderson and Regina Crawford and Debbie McKinney with Sen. Jim Bunning's office.