By JONATHAN SNYDER
The Wells County Regional Sewer District is searching for a new base of operations for its staff and a new home for any extra grinders or other items needing storage.
The specifics of the building were discussed in their meeting on Monday. RSD Supervisor Lewis Brown stated that the current U-Stor building they keep their spare grinders in is not tall enough to stand them up properly. Brown also noted that the building should have space for a small office and a garage to park a newly purchased 2018 Chevrolet truck, a purchase approved later in the meeting.
The RSD brought in Mick Cupp, the owner of Cupp Real Estate, to offer his expertise and help find a suitable building for the district to purchase. Cupp said that the district would be looking to purchase a building close to 2,000 square feet, the cost of which was estimated in the $100,000 dollar range. Cupp mentioned that there were some buildings on the west end of town, and will present some pricing points and research on specific locations to the RSD in their March 11 meeting.
If the building purchase takes longer than expected, the district has set aside around $10,000 for a rental option in their 2024 budget, which was approved Monday. The 2024 budget estimates a revenue gross of $443,820, which will be offset by an estimated operating expense budget of $347,277. District member Andy Stoller, the primary man behind the budget, stated that the increase comes from the new connections on the Kingsland project as it nears completion.
In the superintendent report, Brown noted that the Kingsland project only needs seven more grinders installed, and 25 more control panels. An estimated 85% of the gravity system has been completed, but a change order was needed to divert the line away from a well. Fuhrman Electric, the crew responsible for installing the control panels, plans to get as many put down as they can so homeowners have a week to decide if they are satisfied with their location. Afterwards, they will come back and set floats inside the pits.
Brown also believes that restoration will begin for Kingsland after testing is completed. Levi Morrison of Wessler Engineering proposed that the RSD and VTF Excavation look into having the county chip and seal all roads in Kingsland, as the road currently is less than one inch thick and is still crumbling. For Craigville, there are 52 grinder stations left to install, 80 are currently connected.
Furthermore, Brown acknowledged a few siphoning issues in the Murray and Liberty Center projects. Brown stated he needs to connect with a qualified peer who says he has a way to fix it. Brown wants to see the process himself and make sure it’s OSHA compliant.
Brown also mentioned that some homeowners in the Murray and Liberty Center area are digging ditches to either hook up to the mainline themselves or look at any issues. The RSD members stated that homeowners should avoid doing this work because they cannot ensure the safety of all parties involved.
In addition to the project updates, the RSD also sent out four SRF pay applications, two for the Craigville and two for the Kingsland projects. The Craigville pay applications totaled out to $337,526.10, and the Kingland applications totaled to $243,276.94.
There were two customer questions for the RSD to hear. Jerry Sheets was requesting information on whether or not his hired contractor for connecting to the mainline would be responsible for reseeding the land that was dug up. The RSD stated that any work done by VTF would be the RSD’s responsibility, but any damages from an independent contractor hired by the homeowner would be the homeowners responsibility, unless they made a restoration contract with the company. Sheets and the RSD will be keyed in on any contractor talks for future updates.
Roger Cash also talked about how the compaction made by his contractor has disrupted the groundwater flow in his and his neighbor’s yards. According to Cash, his sump pumps are now working overtime. Brown will look over the property with Cash to see if there is any way to fix the situation.
Leon Berning, Bruce Stinson, Jon Shady, Jon Oman, and the RSD attorney Mark Burry were all present at the meeting, alongside Brown and Stoller.
jonathan@news-banner.com
