Henderson Municipal Gas is launching the Geneva and Smith Mills Expansion project, which will involve the installation of 3.1 miles of a natural gas main line along Ky. 136-West, said a release from HMG Wednesday morning.
HMG also plans to further extend the line later from Geneva to Smith Mills, said Tim Clayton, HMG’s gas system director.
The new line will stretch through Geneva and continue west toward Smith Mills, marking the first step in a multi-phase plan to fully integrate these communities into the city’s gas network, said the release.
Phase 1 construction will start around May 1 and should be completed by the end of summer 2026, said HMG. Phase 1 is fully funded by HMG. Clayton said it will cost $280,000, and he said rates will not be increased to pay for the project.
The next phase—the line to Smith Mills—will extend the line an additional two miles.
Clayton said the gas utility has asked the Henderson County Fiscal Court to pay for the second phase. At Tuesday’s fiscal court meeting, Henderson County Judge-Executive Brad Schneider said he’d spoken to city representatives and brought up the possibility of the fiscal court assisting in funding.
No vote was taken, and Schneider said it was something for magistrates to keep on their radar. Schneider said the funding HMG and the city requested was about $200,000.
Clayton said that phase two would cost $190,000. He said if the fiscal court decides to fund the project, then he believes phase two could start this year after phase one is finished. That would allow for both phases to be done by the end of the year.
If fiscal court decides not to fund it, then a timeline for completing phase two is unknown, Clayton said. But Clayton said it will get done; he just didn’t know when.
Clayton said at Tuesday’s Henderson City Commission meeting that residents in both towns don’t have access to natural gas. In the HMG release it was noted that the project would provide an alternative to electric and propane systems.
Beyond individual energy savings, the expansion will strengthen the area’s utility infrastructure and generate new revenue to support HMG, said the release.
“This is about providing our neighbors in Western Henderson County with better choices and more reliable energy,” said Clayton in a prepared statement. “By expanding our footprint, we are making Henderson a more affordable place to live.”
HMG has recommended awarding the construction contract to Swartz Pipeline Contracting of Olympia, Ky, said the release. Swartz Pipeline was the lowest bidder among four competing bidders. The selection of Swartz Pipeline follows their successful, on-time completion of the five-mile Pratt Pipeline project in 2023, said the release.
