ASWA Plan for Future
No news is good news.
Well at least that’s what members of the Alcovy Shores Water & Sewer Authority are hoping will be the case with their appeal of District Judge Hulane George’s ruling on the water service delivery strategy lawsuit filed in the State Court of Appeals.
Chairman Jim Brown reported that Attorney J. Reitman said that the appeal was to be reviewed in September with a possible decision announced this fall.
The original lawsuit, filed against Jasper County, Shady Dale and the Jasper County Water & Sewer Authority, challenges the latter’s assertion of the county’s service delivery strategy which excludes Alcovy’s claim to a five-mile radius.
The appeal was filed this summer and has prevented both authorities from embarking on new projects. One such project would be delivery of water services to proposed subdivision, Edison Bluff, located on Jackson Lake Road near its Hwy. 16 intersection.
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Robert Jordan of Jordan Engineering, engineering firm for the 58-acre project, addressed a letter to authority members asking whether or not the authority could provide water services to the development. Board members expressed an interest in providing water services but with the development area being disputed through the lawsuit service cannot be rendered until an appeal court ruling is handed down.
In new business, the authority was informed of a water rate increase for purchases by Newton County. The authority was purchasing water for $2.21 per thousand gallon but the rate increased three cents to $2.24 October 1.
In light of the increase, secretary Mary Ann Hyde reported that the authority’s water purchases from Newton had decreased significantly since the new tank was placed into service earlier this year.
Authority members also reviewed an estimate from Pitts Paving for driveway repairs to be completed at the authority’s office located on Blue Heron Drive. The proposal included asphalt paving and crush & run services but members agreed to request a cost on crush & run services only.
In other repair discussions, Juanita Gazaway presented an estimate for needed renovations on the standpipe tank. Pittsburgh Tank & Tower Company submitted a renovation proposal of $72,575 for services including engineering, interior and exterior redesigns.
Mrs. Gazaway had previously been instructed to research any possible grant funding through legislative contacts for the project. Authority members reiterated that directive and further requested that as much funding as possible be sought for extraneous uses such as purchasing touch read meters and constructing a new office.
Authority members designated the authority office as the new meeting location for their quarterly meetings. ASWA had previously conducted meetings at the Jackson Lake Fire Station prior to it becoming a 24-hour station where personnel reside.
The next regular meeting of the ASWA will be held January 9 at 6 p.m.