Mayor Al Tomson; Rhiannon Dodge, RK&K; Shane Whitehair, Region VII; Town Manager Joni Felton; Lisa
Karickhoff, Region VII; John Cole, RK&K.
Davis, West Virginia – On May 5, 2025, the Town of Davis held a groundbreaking ceremony to officially launch two major infrastructure initiatives: the Sanitary Sewer Collection Replacement and Stormwater Separation projects.
Currently, the town’s sanitary sewer system is operating at full capacity. However, with the completion of these projects, Davis anticipates freeing up 50–60% of its system capacity by separating stormwater from the sanitary sewer—significantly improving efficiency and environmental compliance.
The total estimated cost of the projects is $13.1 million, with over $10.5 million secured through a combination of grants and principal-forgiveness loans. Funding sources include federal programs and a variety of state agencies. A $5 million Federal Directed Spending grant—commonly known as an earmark—was secured through former Congressman David McKinley’s office. Additional support came from the Governor’s Matching Fund, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, and the West Virginia Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council (IJDC). The Town of Davis also contributed funds received through the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
Mayor Al Tomson played a key role in securing funding for the project, working closely with Shane Whitehair and Lisa Karickhoff of the Region VII Planning and Development Council. Engineering for the one-year project is being provided by Rhiannon Dodge and John Cole of Rummel, Klepper and Kahl, LLP (RK&K), and construction will be carried out by D&M Construction.
