North Webster Signs 'Agreement to Agree' with Knapp Lake Sewer
Posted
Jordan Fouts-
NORTH WEBSTER – Town Council took its first action Tuesday on an agreement to provide wastewater treatment for a Noble County sewer district, an idea first broached five years ago. Council signed an “agreement to agree,” presented by representatives of the Knapp Lake Regional Sewer District, which will allow the district to apply for construction permits. The agreement was less specific than one presented at the July council meeting, which included financial figures questioned by North Webster Utilities Director Jeremy Sponseller. Under the agreement, North Webster will provide wastewater treatment for about 200 Knapp Lake RSD customers after the district hooks up to North Webster’s system. The district will pay for the necessary infrastructure, which North Webster will maintain. Council later voted to contract with London Witte Group LLC for a water rate study. At a cost of $8,000 to $10,000, the study will determine whether the current rate is sufficient for maintaining the system or whether a rate hike is in order. The study will also take the agreement with Knapp Lake RSD into account. Town attorney Jack Birch recommended London Witte over the other bidding firm, Carter Dillon Umbaugh, at a cost of $9,600, since he said their proposal “seems more in line with what we’re looking for.” Council approved the study after receiving assurance that North Webster customers wouldn’t be subsidizing those in the Knapp Lake district or vice versa. And council approved a few bids presented by Utilities Manager Mike Noe: A contract with Currie Roofing to replace the aging roofs on two lift station buildings; and one with Thompson Concrete Inc. to build a lakefront wall by the lift station on Stanley Street, at a cost of $2,200. They tabled a decision on a bid for fencing around part of the recycling center in town until they learn how long the property owner will allow them to use the property. And council agreed to respond to a letter from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management requiring the town to update its lift stations with the ability to pull pumps out and work on them above ground, rather than requiring utility workers to go into a confined space underground. Noe will prioritize which stations should be updated first and determine what kind of cost the town is looking at.
