The City Council announced last night that it has narrowed 48 applicants for the City Manager position down to four and set a $9.5 million cost barrier for the new water treatment plant.

Mayor Dan Cougill said the screening committee is currently in the process of interviewing the finalists. The first of the four candidates was interviewed last week.

This Thursday the second candidate will be interviewed, with the third candidate being interviewed on Friday and Saturday. The fourth and final candidate will interview on Feb. 17 and 18.

“The screening committee has put in a lot of hours,” Cougill said. “Everyone on the council is eager to get a decision made this month.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, the council also passed an ordinance authorizing an alternate revenue bond, not exceeding $9.5 million for the new Utility Department Building and the new water treatment plant.

Cougill said that in order to build the new water treatment plant, the city must relocate an equipment shed that sits next to the current treatment plant. The current shed occupies part of the area where the new plant will be built.

The estimated cost of the construction was $8.1 million. Dean Barber, director of Public Works and interim city manager, told the council Tuesday that he would have an updated estimate on Wednesday.

“The consultant is coming to meet with me tomorrow,” he said, noting that the project’s total cost would depend on bond rates. “We will have an exact number when the bonds come in. We can go lower, we just can’t go higher.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, Charleston resident Michael Strange expressed concerns over the cost of the project.

“The state of things in this county seem to be lop-sided,” he said. “It seems to me the state of the economy is pretty poor and water and sewer payments will come up.”

The Environmental Protection Agency had originally mandated that Charleston improve its water quality by 2000, but the city was granted an extension until 2003.

Council member Larry Rennels said he feels that the city was lucky to receive the extension from the EPA. If improvements were not made, the city would have to pay huge fines or shut the plant down, Rennels said.

The current plant was built in 1964. Improvements had to be made due to new state regulations and because of the odor and taste problems, Barber said.

Also, the council passed an ordinance allowing them to enter into a Mutual Aid Box Alarm System agreement. The agreement will allow Charleston to help other cities in emergency situations and vice versa. However, the agreement does not mean that Charleston has to help other cities.

Charleston will have one fire engine and four personnel equipped to respond to an emergency situation.

“We have to be ready to go to a scene and stay for five days,” Charleston Fire Chief Darrell Nees said.

“I think this makes us feel secure in case of an emergency,” Council member Marge Knoop said.

In other business, the council passed to put on file for public inspection the extending of contracts with Scotty’s Lawn Care and Canon Cleaning Service.