Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 7 · column 2 of 4 · from the scan, no model involved
town officials have already confirmed is in essence the contingency reserve for the wastewater project.
On Thursday, the day after the council meeting, council member Sullivan and Mayor Leggett met with town engineer and wastewater project manager Herb White of WW Associates, April Young of the Department of Environmental Quality, Hearl of ESS, Jebson and representatives of the two contractors to discuss the construction schedule of the wastewater system and any potential impacts construction may have on the older water system.
According to Jebson, the six- inch cast iron water main showed signs of severe corrosion. Testing determined that the main served only a fire hydrant on Piedmont Avenue, and that there was no easy or safe way to shut off the flow to the pipe should it be damaged during construction of the wastewater collection system in town, said Jebson. Having no way to shut down the main, unless it were capped at six key feeds, this could potentially drain the reservoir, he said. At the very least, he continued, should a break occur, water would be shut off to the entire town until the problem were fixed.
Critzer said in his opinion the main was intact, as it was cement lined, and that only exterior rust was showing. But it is still just not clear what the wastewater contractors will find and where they will find it. There are no “as built” drawings or plans of the water system, he said.
Asked about the sequencing of the proposed capping of the line and commencement of digging for the collection system, White of WW Associates agreed that the repair needs to be done first. Capping taps off the main and shutting it down are estimated to cost the town approximately $38,000.
In addition, a second proposal was submitted to replace water meters and the lines that feed from the mains as many of these were determined to be corroded and the meters less than accurate at reading usage.
The price tag for this, however, was $130,000. Notwithstanding an already overstretched wastewater budget, there is some debate about the wisdom of not addressing the meter problem while already having the streets dug up to install the new wastewater system. Coming back to fix the meter problem - many of them are leaking, say Hearl and Jebson - at a later date would be much more expensive.
White confirmed that there was little room for error or additions to the project when he told Franklin Mechanical that there will be no change orders and only half humorously suggested that they wouldn’t be hitting any water mains either.
None of this means that the town is in any immediate* danger of not being able to pay for the project as Sullivan confirmed in discussions with the Rappahannock News. Disbursements to the contractors will be made directly to them by the DEQ and will not come, from the town, leaving the council to deal with the water issues and projects fees separately.
As the town be*gins to collect money from prope*rty owners for the hookup fees, the town should remain in the black for the next few ye*ars, said Sullivan, but if new growth models fail to project accurately, the town will have to make up the difference through other sources.
80.9%