Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Contractor Holds Up Gurdon Rural Water Project

At this point in time there is no news on when the Gurdon Rural Water Project will begin.

Harold Hurst, manager of the Gurdon Water and Sewer Department, told the Gurdon Water and Sewer Commission everything is ready, but the contractor has yet to begin work.

"I don't know when they'll start," he said.

Pipe for the project is stacked in the parking lot at City Hall and near the new Gurdon High School on Highway 67.

Hurst said a total of 33 properties were condemned for the project, with the department getting some feedback because of the condemnations. He said some property owners claimed they weren't notified about the easement requirements, and in one case, a family buying land didn't know it was in the project area. Hurst said these people didn't know the property was going to be condemned when they bought it.

The department is also looking for a new pager company. Currently, it is using DG Telecom of Arkadelphia, but on a recent weekend the system couldn't reach the employee on call.

It was also a weekend when there was a problem with a well at the airport which resulted in the loss of water pressure.

The employee was called, but his beeper never went off. Fortunately, the problem was corrected.

Hurst said he called this employees beeper five times the next Monday, with it going off once.

"We need to look elsewhere for a more reliable system," he said. The main problem is deadspots around the Gurdon area. According to Hurst, none of the companies he's spoken with will guarantee reliability because of this situation.

Bill Dulin, president of the commission, said Gurdon is in a bad area. However, he said, Alltel is supposed to be erecting a tower on property owned by the Dillard family. He said the company has signed a contract with the Dillard's already.

Dulin also said Baptist Hospital has been utilizing Dial-A-Page service for its beepers and have had good results in the Gurdon region.

The water department may not be filing for a $15,000 grant to clean out its water tanks. Hurst, at this month's meeting of the Gurdon City Council, told the council about the grant, which is for cities with populations of 3,000 or less.

Should the city apply for the grant, he said, it would be used to purchase and install an emergency warning siren system.

But, he told the panel, there is still a chance the water department may get to apply for the grant as the city is exploring other funding options.

The board also heard of a customer with an adjusted bill of $856.

Hurst said the customer had a water leak, but thought it was on the city's part of the system. However, a check of the problem revealed shoddy plumbing and the customer was responsible for the bill.

But, the bill has not been paid, and the person's water has been shut off. Hurst said this person is still living in the home without water.

"When people have a problem," he said, "they need to call and let us know before it gets out of hand so we can get it taken care of."

Danny Paul, the newest member of the board, who was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Bob Turner, agreed to install the department's new antenna on the Gurdon Police Department radio tower.

Though he offered to do the work for nothing, the commission voted to pay him $125, half of what a company had told the department it would charge for the same work.

Hurst informed the board there is another opening in the department as James Barker quit. Hurst said Barker will run his train in Caddo Valley instead.

The department will advertise the position for two weeks, taking applications. Then, prospective employees will be interviewed and the job filled.