DUBOIS – Concerned citizens again raised the subject of municipal water and sewer services at the board of supervisors meeting Monday. Many residents of the Kiwanis Trail area want this project to continue to move forward.
Perry Bowser, engineer for Sandy Township, explained that he had received a tentative estimate of $2.35 million to extend water service to Kiwanis Trail area going out Main Street to Gardner Avenue. This estimate includes a pressure tank, boost pump and storage tank, all
necessary due to the elevation of the area. This would cost approximately $90 per customer for the debt service in addition to the cost of usage. Bowser said they had investigated the cost per customer if the service area was extended to the West Liberty area, however the increased area size would leave the cost per customer about the same. The board believes the cost is too high for some of the residents to be able to afford and are looking for alternatives.
The project is too large for the township crew to take on, supervisors said. They wouldn’t be able to complete enough of the work without being called off this job to perform their regular tasks.
All funding options are being researched, but as Chairman Brady LaBorde pointed out, “Grants are pretty tough to get right now. A lot of communities are renovating right now.”
A very loose estimate of two-plus years could see a water system in the works for Kiwanis Trail. Supervisor Jim Jeffers explained, “Contractors are usually booked at least one year out. Permits, licensing, financing, bids, and legal issues will take some time. Two years seems a ‘quick’ estimate.”
Residents said they appreciated the board giving them honest answers to their concerns regarding time frames and feel that while it will take some time for completion; the time to begin is now.
Supervisor Dave Sylvis told the residents, “You are doing the right thing by being here for these meetings. I’m glad you’re here.”
In nother item of interest, the board received a letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency stating they will be redoing flood insurance maps for the area. There is the possibility that some of the areas once listed as flood plains could be rezoned and become useable land.
