Tamina residents and officials with the city of Shenandoah and Montgomery County announced the pending completion of Phase 1 of the Tamina water and sanitary sewer connection project July 30. The project will provide the unincorporated community with public utilities from Shenandoah after a long history of water issues in the area.
Construction started in November 2023, and funding for the project came from $21 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds allocated by the county as well as $750,000 in ARPA money from Shenandoah to bring new water and sewer infrastructure to the area. The community is in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the city of Shenandoah, which managed the project.
Why it matters
The history of the Tamina community dates back to when it was established in 1871, founded by formerly enslaved people after the end of the Civil War. Some of the descendants of the people who established the community still live there, Shenandoah Mayor John Escoto said.
Past water and sewer issues reported by residents included inconsistent supply, residents on septic systems and low water pressure, Community Impact previously reported.
The community previously purchased wholesale water through the Old Tamina Water Supply Corp. from the neighboring community of Lake Chateau Woods and used septic tanks.
"We knew what type of service that they had here before and we felt that we could improve upon that, and that’s why we took on this project, because it’s important,” Escoto said.
What they’re saying
Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough said he’s happy for residents of this community now that the project is on its way to completion.
“It is an answer to prayer for this community of what people have been praying for for years ... before all of this took place ... we had an unfortunate situation when a fire [broke out] in one of the homes and we had no way to real water,” Keough said.
The property for the first water connection to Shenandoah belongs to residents Ivy and Pat Bell, located on Tamina Road.
Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner Ritch Wheeler explained what it means to have the first connection built on their property.
“This has really been an endeavor by a lot of people for a long time. I can remember serving on [Shenandoah’s] planning and zoning [board] and the Bells ... I struck up a conversation with them and through all the time of being mayor ...[I] really learned about this community, how important it is, the history of it and how important it is to them. This is so fitting that y'all [The Bells] are the first connection," Wheeler said.
Both Ivy and Pat Bell said they’re thankful for the support and effort in making this project possible.
“I speak as a resident today that I am so grateful for this project ... I’m so grateful to God [for] dropping this on everyone’s heart because it does take a village, it does take a team, it does take unity and we must work together. ... This project is going to open up so many doors for the community and if we choose to walk through those doors,” Ivy Bell said.
What’s next
Phase 1 of this project runs from David Memorial Drive east almost to Johnson Road, according to the Shenandoah website.
“This isn’t about trying to reimagine Tamina. It was creating a Tamina that future generations would want to come back and stay in ... the beauty is that this is a project that when all of us are gone, it’ll still be here,” Wheeler said.
