Warrenton city officials learned Tuesday that the south side booster pump project, on schedule to be completed by the start of the year, will be delayed about a month. The news was frustrating for officials who had initially asked that the project be expedited. The project, costing the city around $342,000, is aimed at improving the water pressure for areas located on the southern end of the city, or more specifically south of the Casey's General Store. The booster pump, the main component needed to finish the job, was supposed to arrive in Warrenton Dec. 15, but won't be assembled and ready to ship until Jan. 15. "We had expressed our interest in the project being expedited and moved on quickly," Mayor Greg Costello commented at Tuesday's board of aldermen meeting. "That is very frustrating to me. It's not acceptable. "If someone has put this on the back burner and not considered this an important project issue, then they made a big mistake." The delay was blamed on a "miscommunication" between Cochran Engineering and Vandevanter Engineering, the firm responsible for the pump, Cochran representative Kurt Daniels said Tuesday night. A representative of Vandevanter Engineering, who attended Tuesday night's meeting, informed the board an incorrect lead time was given to Cochran. He said the booster pump was supposed to be done in 12 weeks and not the eight weeks indicated to Cochran. It's possible a week could be shaved off if prefabrication work can be completed, the Vandevanter representative said. The booster pump, once assembled in Wisconsin, will take three days to ship to Warrenton. Daniels had been meeting with city officials monthly to give updates on the project and felt everything was on track in the past couple of months. In October, he told the board the project was going to be done by the start of 2010. In anticipation of the booster pump's arrival this week, city staff moved quickly to build a 25-foot by 25-foot facility to house the equipment next to the Warrior Avenue water tower. Costello asked the Vandevanter representative to find out if Cochran gave the company enough lead time to have the booster pump in place. The city is expected to have an answer by the end of the week. Water customers in the following areas are expected to benefit from increased water pressure: Field of Dreams, Lake Chateau, Whispering Pines, Timber Drive and Highway U. At least one other city official expressed displeasure at the delay. "This has been a stress from Day 1," Ward 1 Alderman Jerry Cullom said. "It really needed to be expedited. It's really a great disappointment." This is the second time Costello voiced concern about the project. In August, he said the bidding process needed to be speeded up because of the slow progress. He remarked then that the low water pressure led to numerous complaints from residents making the project a high priority. At the time, Cochran officials said they were still awaiting on approval of a permit application from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.