GOOD HOPE — The calendar is officially in motion for a major overhaul at Good Hope’s municipal-owned waste water treatment plant, where a yearlong expansion project is set to double the facility’s treatment capacity just as city officials align other new or improving pieces in the growing city’s sewer infrastructure.

At its regular meeting Monday, the Good Hope City Council awarded a project bid of $3.486 million for the expansion to Apel Machine & Supply Co., Inc. of Cullman, funded through the city’s previously obtained $4.7 million bond issue that itself covers a broader array of infrastructure upgrades.

When finished next year, the overhauled treatment facility will be able to process 450,000 gallons of sewage per day, a rate twice the 225,000 gallons per day that the treatment plant — which frequently operates at or near capacity — is currently designed to handle.

Good Hope Mayor Jerry Bartlett said the project represents the key piece in the city’s larger strategy of better equipping its sewer system for an ongoing surge in both residential and commercial growth.

“We’re doing this to stay ahead of the curve,” said Bartlett. “The overhauled treatment plant will be a lot more efficient and require a lot less maintenance, and we’ll be able to operate at way over capacity, and that’s important. Right now, we’re right on the verge of being under capacity, and that was going to be a problem in the future as Good Hope continues to grow.”

The treatment plant expansion will come online just as other components of the city’s sewer system — including a $2 million new pump station on the west side of town as well as a new sewer line expansion along County Road 222 — all will be ready to send an increasing volume of sewage its way.

“We’re upgrading our infrastructure all over Good Hope so we can be ready to meet the demand,” said Bartlett, citing new development like the 185-unit Mize Meadows subdivision as indicators of future growth. “Whatever comes along — whether it’s houses, manufacturing, or a new shopping center — we’ll be ready.”