The first phase of the $4 million Marion Township sewer project was expected to be completed Friday, June 7, and the second and final phase is expected to be finished by Thanksgiving, according to county officials.

Wendy Leslie, county Community Development Block Grant administrator, provided an update on the project at Wednesday’s county commissioners meeting when the panel took action to satisfy grant requirements.

Due to a change in the deadlines of the Community Development Block Grants that funded the project, the commissioners approved reducing the number of project beneficiaries in the first phase from 94 to 24, Leslie said.

Those 24 homes are already being served by the treatment plant, she said.

The remaining households were placed in phase two, which is expected to be completed in the fall, before the Dec. 31 grant deadline.

To complete phase one, contractors finished decommissioning a lagoon that was part of the old sewage system, installed fencing around the new plant and planted grass to restore areas that were disturbed during construction. Grinder pumps, which have been installed, also were tested, Leslie said.

Phase two involves installing lateral service lines at the 75 homes, she said, after the meeting.

The county soon will be advertising for bids to install those lateral lines, she said.

“They’re such kind people and they’re so appreciative,” Leslie said.

In unrelated business, the commissioners approved contracts aimed at benefiting veterans, seniors and college students.

Through a contract with Bay Aging of Virginia, the county Area Agency on Aging will complete intake paperwork and initial screening for veterans in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veteran Directed Care program.

Agency staff will forward the intake and screening information to Bay Aging, and then follow up with phone calls and home visits with the veterans every three moths before conducting evaluations after 12 months, said Beth Herold, agency director.

She said Bay Aging will train agency staff.

“I think it’s a very good opportunity for the veterans in our county and the aging office,” Herold said.

The Veteran Directed Care program gives veterans of all ages the opportunity to receive home and community based services they need in a consumer-directed way, according to the VA.

The program assists veterans who need personal care services and help with daily activities, including bathing, dressing and fixing meals. The program is also for veterans who are isolated.

Veterans in this program are given a budget to pay for services, and with the help of a counselor, hire their own workers to meet their daily needs to help them live at home or in their community.

Herold said some veterans hire family members or neighbors to provide the assistance they need in their homes.

In a no-cost contract with Carlow University, nursing students will conduct preventive screenings and educational presentations with seniors through the county’s senior centers, she said.

“It will be very good for the nursing students plus our seniors,” Herold said.