Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Second Water Meeting Held; Third Is Planned

There was a sparse crowd with few questions at the second rural water meeting Tuesday, Oct. 10.

And, again, those present were concerned primarily with what it would cost them to get hooked up to the system and what happens if the project fails to materialize.

Prescott Mayor Howard Taylor opened the meeting by telling those on hand it was the second effort to get people to sign up for the system. "It's important to get user agreements signed as soon as possible," he said.

Taylor said if more eligible residents don't start signing up, a house-to-house campaign may have to be undertaken in order to get enough signed up to make the project feasible. He said there will be a third meeting scheduled later on, with the date to be announced at that time.

The mayor reminded the public they can sign up at city hall.

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Mike Marlar, project engineer, gave an overview of the project, telling the audience the City of Prescott would be supplying the water for the project. He said the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission will be supplying the primary grant for the system, with the grant totalling $2.3 million. Marlar said the entire project will cost about $3.6 million. The remaining $1.3 million will come in the form of a loan from the Arkansas Soil and Water Conservation Commission.

Marlar, Clinton Wingfield, grant administrator for the project, along with Taylor and Nevada County Judge John Barham, have been working to meet the requirements for the AIDC grant. "We must have the grant to make the project affordable for the customers," Marlar said.

He said so far the project has met the requirements for the income portion, and the number of wells testing bad. Ten percent of the wells in the project area were tested, with more than 50 percent of these testing bad.

The information on the well water was submitted to the Arkansas Water Advisory Committee, who, in turn, submitted it to the funding agencies involved.

"The key (to getting the grant money) is how far along in the process we are," Marlar said. "We need to work on the loan papers and a certain percentage of people to be signed up as potential customers." The percentage he gave as needed was 80 percent.

Marlar said the minimum bill will be $19 per month. This, he said, is to cover the debt service for the project.

Taylor picked up the lead and told the audience it would cost them $1.50 per 1,000 gallons used, with the base bill figured on 5,000 gallons per month. He said the $180fee up front is broken down as follows: $110 connection fee; $50 for the meter; and $20 service fee.

When questioned on what happens if too few sign up, Taylor said all who sign up will get their money back. "The fewer customers, the higher the bills will be," he said. "This is why you need to talk to your neighbors and get everyone on it you can."

Marlar said it is possible the project could receive the grant money as early as January. At this time he would begin the preliminary engineering -- the drawing of plans and surveying of the territory involved. From there, he said it would take between nine and 12 months to actually construct the system.

"This is a big project," he said. "We could speed it up if we split it into two scheduled with two contractors working on it. Normally a project of this size takes a year to do."

According to Marlar, once enough people have signed up, easements will need to be acquired. The easements, he said, are 15 feet. The lines will be within the easements. "We'll try and stay away from other utility's right of ways," he said.

There are problems with the lines when they are located on highway rights of way, he said, because if the road is widened the lines must be relocated. However, with private easements, if the road is widened, the highway department is responsible for relocating the lines.

Taylor reminded the audience they could not have their wells and city water hooked to the same lines going into their homes. This is done to prevent contamination of the city's system. However, he said the wells could be used for anything else, or the residents could still use the wells for their personal use and city water for their cattle or whatever.

"We need to get everyone signed up in the next 60 days," he said. "If you know someone who can't get to town, we'll bring an application to them if they call."

Taylor also said the size of the meter will play a part in water bills. The larger the meter, the more it will cost, he said. An average meter to a home is three-fourths of an inch in diameter.

When questioned about water pressure, Marlar said the line will have between 30 and 100 pounds per square inch in all areas. The average test, he said, is showing 50 to 70 psi on the lines. However, a pumping station will be constructed in the Pleasant Hills area to ensure adequate pressure because of its elevation.

Taylor reminded the audience the rural water project has nothing to do with the proposed annexation. "It's a completely different project," he said. "It's just acoincidence the two projects are happening at the same time."

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Those present were also told it will cost much more to hook onto the system once construction begins or has been completed.

They were also informed they can hook the lines up from the meters to their homes, but a certified plumber must inspect and approve the work before the water will be turned on.

"This is a good project," Taylor said. "It's needed. I've wondered for years why it hasn't been done. This is a sign of progress and we need everybody on it together"

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Marlar said the city and residents who would be affected by the project need to strike while the iron is hot because opportunities such as this don't come around often.

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