By David Hedges, Publisher
Times Record-Roane County Reporter
Three waterline extensions will add more than 20 customers to the
Mt. Zion Public Service District.
PSD vice chairman Roscoe "Cokie" Gainer II said at Monday's
monthly meeting the extensions to the Enon and Sears Run areas
would each serve about nine customers, while another to Linksweiler
would serve approximately four homes.
He said project engineer Jim Hildreth hoped the extensions
would be done by November or December.
Gainer said Hildreth recommended these extensions from several requests because they served the most people at the lowest cost per customer. Hildreth estimated one proposal that was not recommended would have served four customers at a cost between $200,000 and $350,000.
The extensions were some of several proposed for funds remaining
from a $5 million water project.
Customers along W.Va. 16 south of Arnoldsburg and in the Millstone
area began receiving water from that extension earlier this year.
The project was delayed by a variety of problems for several years.
Once construction finally began, the contractor, Bruce Allen Inc., was
more than six months late in completing the work.
Instead of pursuing late damages outlined in the contract, Gainer said,
the PSD agreed to allow the same contractor to do the extensions at the
same price that was proposed two years earlier.
If another contractor was used, Gainer said the work would have
had to be put out to bid.
The same contractor has also given the PSD a quote of $95,460 to
replace all the water meters on the oldest portion of the water system
that existed before the project.
The PSD is also considering adding a rechlorination station. If that is done, Hildreth said that might eliminate the possibility of another extension.
PSD chairman Sharon Postalwait said the remaining money from the
project ought to be used rather than turned back to the USDA, which
funded the project.
"We're just going to lose it if it's not spent," she said.
Postalwait, Gainer and secretary/treasurer Shirley Mace passed
a motion to use some of the project's surplus funds to purchase a telemetry system to link a water storage tank at Mt. Zion with the rest of the system. They later rescinded that motion to
allow for consideration of another system that might be less expensive.
The board also voted to accept what Gainer called the verbal resignation of accounts payable Clerk Norma Collins, who did not attend the meeting.
Mace, who is Collins' mother, left the meeting before that motion was
made and approved by the other two members.
The remaining PSD members said Collins' duties would be turned
over to Patty Cottrell, the accounts receivable manager who will now
become office manager. Cottrell did attend the meeting, along with water system operator in training Jeremy Westfall.
The PSD also approved the hiring of Leonard Hardway as a certified
sewer plant operator to work "as needed." Postalwait said she was not
sure of Hardway's rate of pay.
The PSD also authorized Cottrell to terminate customers who had not
paid their bills.
Cottrell said a boil Water advisory issued for the entire system on July 11 was lifted Aug. 5. She said the advisory was put in place following a water line break in Arnoldsburg and because of a water quality testing report that was not submitted for one
day in May.
Minutes were approved for regular meetings in May, June and July
and special meetings July 20 and July 23.
The board also decided to meet in special session at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 22, to approve payment of bills once funds come in from water bills mailed at the first of the month.
This meeting and the next regular meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 10, will be at the Arnoldsburg Community Building.
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