Residents of the Wright City area had some pressing questions Tuesday night for city leaders and representatives of Public Water Supply District No. 2 (PWSD 2).A packed room of people met with the officials at the Heiliger Building in Wright City to discuss the proposed sale of the city’s water and sewer utilities to PWSD 2. Voters will have to approve the sale with a two-thirds majority April 3 for the deal to go through.City leaders spent much of the meeting answering questions about why they feel the sale is necessary and how it would affect current customers.The biggest issue facing the city utilities is that the Missouri Department of Natural Resources is mandating costly upgrades to the sewer system. Mayor Dan Rowden and city Project Manager Jim Schuchmann said service costs for customers would have to increase substantially to pay for the improvements.“We have a very high standard (for water quality) that we have to meet,” said Schuchmann. “DNR keeps raising their standards. ... We could be looking at additional monies down the road if DNR comes back and says ‘OK, we want to change it again.’ ”In addition, Schuchmann said the water system’s ability to supply the city is nearing its capacity. Several residents at the meeting commented that their water pressure drops during times of high usage in the summer. Schuchmann added that a water main break or firefighters tapping into the system to battle a fire also cause a noticeable drop in pressure.The problem will only get worse as more people move into the city, he said. There were about 110 permits issued for new homes in Wright City in 2017.“If you throw another 500 homes in there, we’ll probably max that system out,” Schuchmann said.That means in the next few years, the city could have to build a new water tower or wells, which would also cost a substantial amount of money.The problems facing the sewer and water systems would both be solved by merging Wright City’s utility systems with those of PWSD 2, officials said. Rather than having to pay for upgrades or new facilities, Wright City’s system would be connected to nearby PWSD 2 sewer treatment plants and water towers that have capacity to spare.City residents would also get the benefit of the experience and resources that PWSD 2 has to offer, said PWSD 2 General Manager Kevin Dunn.“We are professional water and sewer people. That is our job, that’s all we do,” Dunn said. “The city currently has to deal with all the other issues of the city. Their manpower has to be shifted back and forth. All of our people only would work on water and sewer.”In its contract to purchase the utilities, PWSD 2 has agreed to freeze water and sewer rates for five years. After that, Wright City customers would be charged at the exact same rates as other PWSD 2 customers in the area, Dunn said. Those fees are available for viewing at PWSD 2’s website, waterdistrict2.com.“In the long run, the citizens are better off with PWSD 2,” said Wright City Alderman Tom Dixon.City leaders also faced some tough questions about the purchase of land for a new park that has become tied to the sale of the utilities. In January, the city’s board of aldermen approved a contract to pay almost $1.2 million for 62 acres of land on Westwoods Road, but only if the utility sale goes through.Several people at the meeting questioned why officials had put a contract on the land before knowing they had the money for it, or why they hadn’t sought cheaper land elsewhere.Rowden and Schuchmann explained that the land is in an ideal location, surrounded by neighborhoods and very close to Wright City Middle School and West Elementary School. The front part of the property has flat, mostly clear land that can be developed into baseball and soccer fields, while the wooded back part can be developed for other park uses, they said.

Representatives of Public Water Supply District No. 2 and the City of Wright City listen as an area resident asks a question during a town hall meeting at the Heiliger Building in Wright City Feb. 27. City leaders say selling their sewer and water utilities to PWSD 2 will save the city on costly upgrades. 

Record photo/Adam Rollins

Kevin Dunn, general manager of Public Water Supply District No. 2, answers a question during a town hall meeting at the Heiliger Building in Wright City Feb. 27. The city government has proposed selling its water and sewer facilities to PWSD 2, but the deal must be approved by voters this April. 

Record photo/Adam Rollins