Clean drinking water is one step closer to becoming a reality to the residents at Prenter, as a pre-bid meeting has been scheduled.

The meeting will take place at 2 p.m. and will be held at the Racine Community Center on June 24. Representatives of West Virginia American Water Company and the Boone County Commission are expected to participate in the meeting.

According to Boone County Administrator Jim Gore, the Public Service Commission will not allow projects to be bid out until all the money for the project has been secured, an issue that Gore says is not a problem.

“All the money is there for the completion of the project,” he said. This was verified by the PSC, who indicated that funds in excess of $2 million would be used to bring safe, clean drinking water to the residents.

The need for water lines in the community came following community complaints about unsafe and unsanitary water filtering out of their home spigots.

Families like the Lamberts have been working to bring barrels of water to the area residents.

For more than a year, residents have been commuting back and forth between their homes and a local church to fill up containers and jugs of “potable water” that they would then use to bathe, cook and clean with.

The commute was reportedly not always feasible for elderly residents or those with limited transportation.

In February, State Senators John Unger, D-Berkeley, and Ron Stollings, D-Boone, met with residents of Prenter Road to discuss problems and issues community members had with their drinking water.

At that time, Stollings and Boone County Commissioner Atholl Halstead told the group that the Prenter water project is a top priority with Gov. Manchin and that bids for Phase I of the project would begin in March with construction beginning in June or July.

The community was granted a $1,500,000 small cities block grant from the Governor’s Office and the Boone County Commission has also chipped in $300,000 for the project. Submission of bids will begin Phase I of the water project with plans for a reported ground breaking ceremony as early as July.

“All the commission wants to do is get one more person water,” Jim Gore said.

Phase I of the water project reportedly will bring a water pipe from Seth up to and include homes in Laurel Creek and Sandlick, of Prenter Road. Halstead also said in February that if money allowed, the water line would extended further up Prenter Road.