With approval of a $20 million loan from the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank last week, the Kent County Water Authority that serves 4,528 Warwick customers mainly in the Natick, Cowesett and Apponaug sections of Warwick is a step closer to moving out of jammed packed offices and maintenance facilities in West Warwick. The authority’s staff of 37 work from the single location.

“There’s no room for expansion,” David L. Simmons, PE, Executive Director and Chief Engineer of the authority said Monday of existing administrative offices. And being on a heavily traveled road, Simmons said customers visiting the offices “are taking their lives in their hands.”

A positive feature of the plan to build on a 14-acre site on Technology Way just off Route 95 in West Greenwich, is that the authority won’t be asking to put a hand in the pockets of customers to pay for the improvements. The money is slated to come out of the capital and infrastructure funds that are fed though customer rates. No changes in the rates are proposed.

In a release Simmons said, ““In addition to meeting the spatial needs for future growth and an enhanced customer service experience, we are excited about the many energy efficiency features that will be integrated into the new building including a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system, LED lighting, and enhanced insulation, just to name a few. In addition, the new facility will feature solar panels and charging stations for a fleet of electric vehicles. Combined, these elements will result in significant energy cost savings for the Authority and our customers while simultaneously moving toward our 100/100 goal to provide 100 % of the water service utilizing 100 % renewable energy sources.”

Research for modern offices and maintenance facilities started in the 1990s and over the years the authority looked at 13 possible sites. Simmons said the loan is to be repaid over 20 years.

With approval of the loan, Simmons said the authority is moving ahead with other regulatory approvals needed for the authority to move ahead with the project that include Department of Health authorization and Public Utilities Commission approval to pay debt services.

Design of the facilities is moving ahead and Simmons is hopeful by the end of the summer contracts will have been awarded and ground is broken.

The authority would keep its current location as a centralized storage depot for pipes hydrants and other materials.

In a statement Infrastructure Bank CEO Jeffrey R. Diehl said, “Through the combination of our Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and Efficient Buildings Fund programs, this loan will allow the Authority to continue to supply drinking water to their customers for decades to come, while also delivering energy cost savings.”