By Tim SchmidtRecord Managing EditorThe city of Warrenton is purchasing 20 acres adjacent to its wastewater treatment facility on Willow Road.The city agreed to pay $200,000 for the land, according to Mayor Jerry Dyer.He said the acquisition will allow for additional space as the city prepares to expand and upgrade the treatment plant, and lead to net savings in the process.The property is owned by Brad and Laura Seger and Bobby and Amy Heggemann, Dyer said. The city expected to close on the transaction April 29, but that has since been pushed back.The city was approached to see if it was interested in purchasing the property, according to Dyer. City officials then decided to have their engineering firm look at the land, which recommended proceeding with the purchase.“I think it was a great purchase for the city,” Dyer told The Record. “We don’t want to be in the real estate business, but something that adjoins our property and gets us on the other side of the creek and gives us another entrance to the plant, we couldn’t find any downfalls.”The purchase coincides with the start of a $15.5 million project to expand and upgrade the city’s sewer system. A bond measure was overwhelmingly approved by voters in the April 8 election to finance the project.Dyer said the land purchase will allow the city to save around $80,000 during the project. He said contractors will be able to construct a new headwork system on the new property, while allowing the current system to operate normally. This will eliminate the need for the city to pay around $25,000 in overtime, Dyer said. The acquisition means the city won’t have to purchase additional easements from existing property owners next to the treatment plant.Since a home sits on the property, Dyer said the city could look at selling a couple of acres down the road.The sewer project is needed to adequately transport waste to the treatment facility and for the waste to be effectively treated at the plant.Some of the planned improvements include the installation of larger sewer mains parallel to the existing sewer mains, replacement of the Water Street lift station and equipment upgrades at the treatment plant.The project will be completed in phases, with the first phase starting immediately. The opening phase will cost $9 million of the overall $15.5 million project.Warrenton purchases land next to WWTP