Press Release

**Grove Municipal Services Authority                                                                                                         **

The Grove Municipal Services Authority (Authority) received approval for a $1,000,000 loan Tuesday from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB) to improve the Authority’s wastewater infrastructure.  Construction of upgrades and improvements to the wastewater system will be financed by the Oklahoma Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF).

The Authority will utilize the proceedsto purchase and install a bioset screw press and lime stabilization system at the wastewater treatment plant. These upgrades will reduce operating costs and mitigate effluent from the facility into Grand Lake.

Joe Freeman, chief of the OWRB’s Financial Assistance Division, calculated that the Authority’s customers will save an estimated $114,400 over the life of the 20-year loan compared to traditional financing. The CWSRF loan will be secured with a lien on the revenues of the Authority’s water, sewer, and gas systems, a 2.4 cent sales tax, and a mortgage. Grove Municipal Services Authority’s Chairman, Andy Stewart, stated “On behalf of the Authority and the City of Grove, I want to express our appreciation and gratitude to the Oklahoma Water Resource Board. Your assistance to rural municipalities like ours is vital to our community.”