During a special session held Tuesday night, the aldermen and mayor held a workshop with Tim Flagg, the city's water and sewer superintendent, to continue talk about how best to proceed. Flagg has …
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During a special session held Tuesday night, the aldermen and mayor held a workshop with Tim Flagg, the city's water and sewer superintendent, to continue talk about how best to proceed. Flagg has talked with some tank manufactures, but has yet to get an updated cost estimate. Obtaining a used tower also is a possibility the city could look at, Flagg noted. The city is looking at constructing a tower that would hold 250,000 gallons of water or more. Flagg said the cost of a new tower would range from $500,000 to $750,000. The cost would increase to $1.25 million if a new well was included, he added. "I want to figure out what direction you guys want to go in with where we're at," Flagg told aldermen. Flagg noted the city currently goes through 93,000 gallons a day, about the same amount as a year ago. Due to a recent spike in the city's population and the possibility of more growth in the future, Flagg said he wants to be proactive. "We're looking for more storage volume," he said. "We're trying to get ahead of it. We've been so far behind. We're starting now to get ahead of the game." Flagg plans on having more information at an upcoming meeting. The aldermen meet again on Tuesday, Oct. 14. Flagg told aldermen he would prefer an elevated tank. The benefit would be the availability of using 100 percent of the water stored in the tower. In addition, Flagg said some residents might see enhanced water pressure. With a larger tower, Flagg pointed out, the city could store enough water for two days without pumping. Currently, the city has three water towers - two elevated and one standpipe. All three each hold 50,000 gallons of water, Flagg said. A new tower would replace the standpipe at the southeast corner of town. Aldermen agreed the city needs to move forward with the project. Flagg said it's too early to form a time line of when the tower could be started or completed. First, the city has to figure out how to finance the project. Flagg acknowledged there is some funding available in the city's reserves. Other options include a lease/purchase agreement, a grant or applying for money from the state revolving loan fund.
