BROWNSTOWN — The Jackson County Redevelopment Commission has hired a consultant to provide assistance for a multi-million dollar project to provide wastewater collection, treatment and disposal services to an underserved area on the east side of the county.

The commission took that action during a meeting Tuesday night at the courthouse in Brownstown.

The consultant, Dan Zuerner, vice president of Garmong Construction Services in Terre Haute, is no stranger to the county, as he provided similar services when the $12.14 million Jackson County Judicial Center in Brownstown was built in 2017-18.

At its November meeting, the Jackson County Council committed up to $11 million in funding for the project in Uniontown.

Garmong will be paid through revenues captured by the creation of a tax increment financing district in the Uniontown area along Interstate 65 in 2020.

In a TIF district, tax money is captured from new industrial development or increased property values in the district and is set aside to fund infrastructure, redevelopment or incentives to promote economic development in a community rather than being distributed to other taxing units.

Several businesses and firms are located in the Uniontown area, including Insurance Auto Auctions, which recently opened an auction facility. That site, called Indianapolis South by the company, is located on the east side of I-65 just north of the Uniontown exit.

“Numerous different groups have been working on a sewer project for Uniontown,” commission President Drew Markel said. “That project has stretched from RDC to commissioners and council out even to Jackson County Industrial Development Corp, so were kind of using all of the branches of government to move this project along. While doing so, we discussed needing some assistance from a project manager.”

That’s where Garmong comes in, Markel said, because Zuerner and co-worker Joe Murphy would act as the points of contact and representatives for Jackson County while the county works through the project.

He said the project will have many parts besides construction, including land acquisition and economic issues.

Markel said with the help of Zuerner and Garmong, the judicial center came in under budget.

“That project went very well, and we are very happy with the support Garmong gave us on it,” he said.

Markel said Zuerner was able to fix issues with construction of the judicial center as they came up.

“Dan never left anything unturned,” he said.

Zuerner said he views the Uniontown project as a very massive one in part because of the various sources of revenue that are going be used to fund it.

“I think there is a lot to determine here relative to the scope of the project,” he said.

Besides financing, there are issues involving land acquisition, the time frame of the payback period and the size and capacities of lines needed to support industrial development down the road, Zuerner said.

“So there are a lot of things to be discovered and worked out,” he said. “I think you are looking to have somebody step into your shoes, look at all scenarios, develop the strategy and come back to you with the issues and the opportunities and problems and give you the information you need to make good decisions as we move forward. And also to serve as the catalyst that doesn’t let this thing set silent with nothing happening and money be wasted.”

The contract with Garmong allows either party to terminate it with 30 days of notice.

“Because I believe my clients are never satisfied and vice versa,” Zuerner said.

He said if a person tells you there will never be a problem on a project like this, don’t hire them because there will be problems.

Zuerner said he would like to see a facilities committee be put together so he could meet with those members in January to talk about the scope and objectives of the project.

Zuerner will be paid $250 an hour for his work. Murphy, who is training to be Zuerner’s replacement when he retires sometime in the next few years, will be paid $125 an hour. His services will include a monthly report either in person or written.

“We can handle that any way you want,” he said.

Zuerner said the advent of video conferencing in recent years in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic will save the county by reducing the number of trips he and Murphy will have to make to the county.

“My assurance to you is I am not going to spend your money any quicker than I would myself,” he said.

Zuerner also said he already has enough work and doesn’t need anymore.

“So we are not going to be billing you for things that aren’t getting done,” he said.

The first phase would include providing sanitary sewer services to commercial and potential light industrial areas along State Road 250 on both sides of I-65 and on U.S. 31 south of State Road 250. It also would include construction of a wastewater treatment plant.

Members of the commission, who voted 4-0 to hire Garmong, include county Commissioner Markel, county District 3 Councilman Brian Thompson, Jerry Hounshel, a former commissioner and sheriff, and Mark McKinney with Jackson County REMC.

County Council President Dave Hall holds the fifth seat, but he recently was sworn in as the Indiana House District 62 representative for the 2023 legislative session, and his replacement on the redevelopment commission has yet to be selected.

Tim Taylor, superintendent of Brownstown Central Community School Corp., also serves as a nonvoting member of the commission and was in attendance Tuesday.