Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
AKRON - Several residents objected to paying higher water rates at Akron's public hearing on the upcoming water project Tuesday.
Jean Personett asked how a town that qualified as low to moderate income could expect its residents to come up with money to pay their utility bills.
Others voiced their support for the project and urged the council to move ahead quickly to bring decent water to the town. Suzanne Baker said on a good day, her water looks like lemonade; other times, it is so clouded with rust, you can't see through it.
Bob Allen reminded citizens a public hearing was held in 1985 or 1986 when the town wanted to install an iron removal system.
"The project was yelled down because no one wanted to pay more for water," said Allen. "That project would have cost us $265,000. We were told then that the day would come when we had to do something and the cost would go up. The day is now, the cost has gone up, and we can't afford to wait any longer."
Vince Sommers, Commonwealth Engineers, said the preliminary engineering for the water project was completed in July. The council has applied to Rural Development for funding to cover $1.3 million on the $1.8 million estimated project cost. They are applying for a $500,000 grant from the Department of Commerce.
The project consists of three phases: water distribution improvement, a water treatment plant and additional storage facilities. Utilities superintendent Marty Gearhart said the distribution phase would allow him to upgrade water lines and add more water hydrants. The town's storage tank provides 150,000 gallons of above-ground water. Gearhart referred to a fire last year that depleted the water supply and said if the fire had been in the uptown area, there wouldn't have been enough water to keep it from spreading to neighboring buildings.
Sommers said the council should know by early November if Rural Development will commit to funding the project. They should receive information concerning the DOC grant in October. If funding is arranged and the council allows Commonwealth to move ahead with the project, the design process would begin in December or January. Sommers said that phase would be completed by April and the project could be released for bids by June. Actual construction could begin in the fall of 1997.
Council member Jean Conner said, "I know no one wants to pay $35 for water and sewage but it's been left too long. We have to do it or have everybody put in wells."
In other business, the council reported that the county commissioners have chosen Mike Summe and Donna Loer to represent the people living in a two-mile radius of the town on the Plan Commission. The council will choose three people to respresent the council and town employees and four residents of the town. Of those four, no more than two can be from the same political party. The names chosen for the Plan Commission will be announced at the Sept. 17 meeting, which begins at 7 p.m.
Nine residents who live along the Curtis McCloud ditch west of town have agreed to pay to have the tile replaced from the highway, south of the Leininger ditch. The town will pay 25 percent of the cost, not to exceed $1,700, because the ditch is a critical part of their storm water run-off system. John McKee, representing the nine residents, asked if they could be hooked up to the town's sewer. He said the properties are hooked up to field tile, which was legal when it was installed 25 to 30 years ago. Now the health department will force them to change sewage systems. The council asked Sommers to work with Gearhart to inspect the area and come up with an estimated cost for the residents to hook on to the town's sewer.
