Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Easements Needed For Project

Work is well underway on the parent portion of the Gurdon Rural Water Project.

According to Charles Summerford, project engineer, the city is working to procure easements at this time, and already has regulatory approval and funding from the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission in place.

The AIDC, he said, has the plans and specifications in hand, and once approved, they will go to the Arkansas Department of Health for approval as well.

Summerford has been working on getting permits from the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department as well as railway access. There will be places water lines will cross railroad tracks as well as highways. Permits are required by the city so lines can be bored beneath the surface of each.

About 1/3 of the easement papers have been returned to the city, Summerford said, but all are required before the project can start. These easement agreements have been mailed to all property owners in the affected areas, as well as to timber companies.

"It's going slowly," Summerford said. "I hope people respond favorably so we can go to construction.

"We'll need most (of the easements) in hand before we go to bid," he continued. "Normally, this is about 85 percent."

He said the permanent sites have been well arranged for, with the agreement for a tank on Red Springs Road already struck with Southwestern Bell Telephone.

The timber companies, he said, are helping with a site for a deep well. However, before the well's location can be formally set, test drilling will have to be done.

The test drills, Summerford said, will be done to make sure there is plenty water at the site selected, and the water is safe for human consumption.

Summerford is working with a landowner in the Sycamore area, trying to get a section of property to put a booster station on. "I think we can work something out," he said, "but we haven't got an option on it yet."

This station is a deductive alternative in the plans, and could be removed depending on the bids received. If the bids are over budget, he said, this station may have to be left out.

The ECS, the group which secured the easements along Highway 67 for the school portion of the project, is working on the parent part at this time.

"We're about ready for a public meeting in Beirne," Summerford said. "We're working on easements there from Beirne to Highway 51 and from the school to the church in the target area."

The ECS, he said, will be the administrator of the AIDC grants. This group is responsible for preparing the easements and getting the signatures, along with keeping Gurdon in compliance with federal regulations.

"I hope people understand we must install the pipe on private easements in order to avoid a bigger expense later on," Summerford said. "I hope the people provide the right of ways without much objection."

Once the notice to proceed has been issued it will take about eight months to complete the project and get water to the people in these rural areas.

"People's land is their most valuable asset," he said. "We don't want to damage (the land) any more than necessary, but we don't know who the contractor will be or what equipment they will use.

"We want to make sure the contractor does the work on time and cleans up after himself."

However, Summerford said the entire project hinges on getting the easements. By law, water lines must be buried underground for their protection and the protection of the public.

"We're not trying to take advantage of anyone," he said. "The faster we get the easements, though, the sooner we can start work."

Thursday, May 23, the area tied a record high temperature. Summerford said temperatures have been above normal in recent weeks, while rainfall amounts have been below normal for this time of year.

All indications are the summer of 1996 could be as bad, if not worse, than the summer of 1995. Last summer, several wells dried up for the first time, while others simply dried up.

"We're trying to get people safe water to drink," he said. "We're trying to improve the health of the local people. This is a worthwhile goal.

"The city is trying to help people and provide a service. The AIDC and RECD (formerly Farmer's Home Administration) are trying to help keep the cost reasonable and realistic.

"Arkansas is a water rich state, but the problem comes in unequal distribution of it. Normal rainfalls are erratic and can't be depended on.

"We must make do the best we can and encourage (customers of the project) to talk to one another to get the easements to protect their water supply.

"We're all in this together. This is a community project. All lacking is the cooperation with the owners, then we can go to bid and build the project. We respect the property owners and their concerns."

This project began six or seven years ago with area residents complaining about their inadequate water supply. Now, with their help, this project can become a reality and rural citizens will have a safe, dependable source of drinking water for the foreseeable future.