Now or never for rural water

Friday, August 1, 2003

CHARLESTON - For rural Mississippi County residents within the Phase 1 area not signed up for service with the new water district, it's now or never.

Bill Green of William Green and Associates, the project's engineer, updated county commissioners on the water district's status during the regular county commission meeting Thursday. "Construction will be starting in a few days," he said.

A preconstruction meeting is scheduled for Aug. 21, after which the contractor will be cleared to begin, Green said. "So they're ready to start."

The project will begin at or near Charleston and East Prairie, which will be supplying the district with its water.

The contract calls for the project to be completed in 500 days, according to Green. He predicted some customers will have water late this year or early next year.

With close to 900 homes in the project area and only 565 signups, there is $497,000 in budgeted, approved funding that will not be used, according to Green. "People are just not signing up."

Presiding Commissioner Jim Blumenberg speculated some people are waiting to actually see lines in the ground before signing up, but Green said they need to know that just because the new rural water district lines will end up running past their home doesn't mean they can just get hooked up any time they decide to.

Two of the funding sources - the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Community Development Block Grant - approved installing larger pipe sizes in anticipation of future signups. The third, Rural Development, said no, Green said. "We can look at the pipe size from now until Aug. 15."

Adding additional service on the system not built with larger main lines for future hookups would drop water pressure to unacceptable levels for customers in that area, Green explained.

And even if they are fortunate enough to be in one of the few areas that will have large enough mains running by to accommodate their addition, they are increasing the cost for their hookup, Green said. "They don't understand what the wait is going to do to them," Green said. "In the future it's not going to do anything but go up."

The signup was $150 when the project began and included a hookup to the structure, Green said. "That ended a year ago."

The signup fee then went up to $180 with the water line only running up to the property line.

Those who are able to sign up after Aug. 15 will have to pay $390 with the water line only running up to the property line.

"You've got to do it right now or not at all," Blumenberg summarized. Commissioners agreed to contact some of the residents in the water district who have opted not to sign up.

"We have a good water system for those who signed up," Green said.

Those interested in signing up scan call Green toll free at 877-276-3741.

In other Mississippi County business, commissioners reviewed correspondence from Prosecutor Jennifer Raffety advising she has hired Neal Frazier as an assistant prosecutor and special gun violence prosecutor. He will begin Aug. 14.

"He's taking Greg Spencer's place," said County Clerk Junior DeLay. Spencer's resignation was reviewed by the commission during their July 24 meeting.

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