Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Water project ready to get underway

A resolution concerning the Prescott Rural Water Project was passed at a special meeting of the Prescott City Council Tuesday, July 29.

City Attorney Glenn Vasser informed the panel there is dual funding involved in the project, which required an interlocal agreement with the Nevada County Quorum Court. Funds for the project, he said, are in the form of grants and a loan from the Arkansas Soil and Water Conservation Commission.

The grant money, he said, is coming through the county and must be transferred to the city to pay for construction. Vasser informed the council the grant monies do not have to be paid back, but had to be in the county's name.

In addition, the contract for the project was let in the county's name. This means the city has to obtain the title and deed from the county, then assign them to the Soil and Water Commission. The commission will hold the title until the loan is paid off, at which time ownership will revert to the city. The City of Prescott will be responsible for maintenance and operation of the system from now on.

Revenue generated from the bills customers will be paying will be used to pay off the loan.

Vasser said the county signed the title over to the city so the project could continue. "This is just a clearing out process. It's a little unusual, but it's like what we had to do with the Bodcaw water project. They had a dual fund arrangement as well. This is exotic financing, but it's all legal and proper."

The council was unable to vote immediately as there only four members were present. In the end, Prescott Mayor Howard Taylor had to step in so there would be a quorum and a vote could be cast.

Mike Marlar, the project engineer, said there was some concern when bids were taken in June, because the cost estimates were done in 1998. However, once the bids were let, the low bidder was $200,000 under the estimate.

This, Marlar said, means there will be $200,000 more, in addition to the project's contingency fund, available. Because of the extra money, areas which were originally cut could be placed back into the project.

John Parker Construction of Palestine, Ark., was the low bidder for the pipe work, turning in a bid of $2,897,778.50. This includes two pump stations along with the pipe.

Circle P Welding of Norman, Okla., was the low bidder for the water tanks, with a bid of $285,626. One of the tanks will be in the northwest part of the county, while the other will be in the Redland Community.

But, what most people are interested in is when will the construction actually begin. The target date for work to start is Sept. 1, with the contractors having 13 months to get the project finished. This means the system should be fully operational by Oct. 1, 2004.

Marlar said there are 700 potential customers along the system's route, with less than 400 having signed up for city water. "I expect to pick customers up along the way. We usually do when construction begins, and this could reduce the rate some."

Vasser said residents along the way will have 90 days to sign up at the current $180 fee, with the clock starting as of July 30. "This could save people money."

"If people want water, they need to sign up now," Marlar said. "If the project passes their house, it will cost them more."

Joe Elrod and David Roswell will be the project inspectors. Marlar said one of them will be on hand whenever work is being done until the project is completed. "Someone will report to the council, if you want."

Marlar is also the engineer for the city's sidewalk project. He updated the council on it while waiting for a fifth councilman to arrive.

The sidewalks, he said, will have handicap ramps and islands, with work to be done on both sides of the railroad tracks.

Bids have been let for this project as well, with Saine Construction of Little Rock the low bidder. The Arkansas Highway Department, Marlar said, has agreed to let the contract to Saine.

At this point, he said, the contractor is working to obtain bonds and insurance required for the job. Once this paperwork is in place, a preconstruction hearing will take place and a date will be set for work to begin.

According to Marlar, the sidewalk project could begin around the same time as the water project. However, the sidewalk project has a 180 time limit.

Jon Chadwell, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office, said the sidewalk project addresses the drainage problem at East Third and Elm by the Prescott Fitness Center and Whistlin' Gopher. This project, he added, is being made possible through an 80-20 grant from a TEA-21 grant.

Chadwell also pointed out the $180 connection fee for the rural water project is for a standard 3/4 inch water line. The larger the line, the more the connection fee will cost.

He said for those who wait until construction has passed their homes before deciding to sign up, they will have to bear the entire cost of having the contractor do the work. This could run into a considerable amount of money if the contractor has to bore under a road to lay the pipe.

Overall, there will be 121 miles of pipe for the project.