City moving ahead with project after Town Hall

Clarendon Aldermen are set to move forward this week with a $3.9 million project to improve the city’s water distribution system following a recent Town Hall meeting.

“I think it was a positive response,” City Administrator David Dockery said of the Town Hall. “We’ll have something dealing with this project on every agenda for the foreseeable future.”

The City Council will consider two items on its agenda this Thursday that will set the project in motion, the administrator said. The first is a “notice to proceed,” and the second will be action to engage bond counsel.

Dockery says he expects the city will complete surveying and design work within six months, project bidding will be done in seven or eight months, and construction will begin within a year. Once construction begins, the project will take 18 months to three years to complete.

The main focus of the project will be to address discolored water found in some parts of town that is caused by miles of cast iron distribution pipes and poor flow through the system. The city is also out of compliance with state regulations for elevated storage due to problems with the standpipe (or water tower) on the east side of town. Clarendon could face state fines in the near future if those issues are not addressed.

The city additionally will replace all water meters with auto read meters. City officials say the aging meters currently in use are inaccurate by as much as 20 percent, and automated meters would significantly reduce the man-hours needed each month to read more than 700 meters.

Through the USDA Rural Development Program, Clarendon will pay for the project with a grant of $1.387 million and a loan in the amount of $2.522 million. The loan will take 40 years to pay off at 2.5 percent interest and with an annual payment of about $100,500.

The loan payment would require additional revenue for the city equal to $10 per month per water connection. Dockery says the rate increase is about nine months in the future at this point.

More than 50 people attended the Town Hall meeting on the night of March 29 at the Bairfield Activity Center, where Dockery, along with Mayor Larry Hicks and city engineer Clayton Scales, fielded questions from the public following an explanatory overview of the project. A sample of the questions and answers follows:

Question: Why can’t the east standpipe be raised to create more elevated storage? Have we asked for a variance from the state?

Answer: The engineers aren’t sure the foundation or the base shell of the standpipe could handle the weight of additional capacity. And we can’t get a variance.

Question: Why can’t we just replace the oldest water meters instead of all the meters?

Answer: Most of the meters are old and therefore measuring water inaccurately. The city is being charged for all the water it receives from Greenbelt but is not able to collect for all the water used by consumers. Better accountability will produce more revenue.

Question: What percentage of the funding is grant funds?

Answer: 35 percent.

Question: Clarendon is in decline, and won’t this cost be borne by fewer and fewer people?

Answer: The city believes improved water and improved services makes Clarendon more attractive for people to live here.

Comment: Our rates are higher than other cities already.

Response: If you look at other cities who purchase their water from Greenbelt, we are comparable. Childress’ and Crowell’s rates are higher than Clarendon and will still be higher after we go up $10.

Comment by Judy Thomas: I don’t like the idea of paying $10 per month more, but I like replacing my clothes less (due to stains from dirty water).

Comment by Rose Lemley: I greatly admire our mayor, council, and city administrator for dealing with something that nobody else wanted to deal with.

Question: How will this waterline replacement impact paved streets and driveways?

Answer: Lines will be placed in the right of way outside of the paving where possible. Driveways that are cut will be put back with the same material that was there.

Question: What about the brick streets?

Answer: Brick streets are important to the community and city is aware of that.

Comment from Will Thompson: Many express fear of spending or taxes going up. I fear not doing something like Flint, Michigan. Doing nothing will put pressure on another generation.

Comment from Bob Watson: We’re doing a disservice to those with poor water if we don’t fix this water for everybody.

Question: How does this impact the city’s ability to borrow money for future projects?

Answer: The current street bonds will be paid for in three years, and at that time the city could take on another project.

For more information about the water improvement project, contact City Hall at 874-3438.