Water Business is Booming
The water business appears to be picking up for the Jasper County Water & Sewer Authority.
The organization’s tentative approval to provide water services to two preliminary subdivisions could potentially produce up to 100 customers for the authority. Both subdivisions are planned for locations on County Line Road where the authority is currently in progress on a multimillion dollar service project.
The first subdivision reviewed was an intended 34-lot development, Weldon Woods, proposed by Keith Ellis of Covington and the second is a 70-lot subdivision proposed by Larry Morrison of Monticello. Both subdivisions are subject to engineering approval.
The recent tentatively approved subdivisions brings the authority’s prospective customer base to approximately 850, according to consulting engineer Frank Sherrill. When the USDA loan/grant project was conceived last year the base was projected near 400.
Engineer Tom Garrett informed authority members that the original outline for the County Line Road project had been completed with some 169,280 feet of pipe already installed. Some 53 percent of the total project, including extensions, is in service with more than 79,900 ft. of pipe remaining for installation.
County Line Road customers who paid their total connection fees prior to July 1 will benefit from a little show of customer appreciation. Brack Pound suggested those customers receive a minimum monthly credit of $24.50 for their diligent payments during the inconvenient construction phase. The motion passed 6-1 with one abstaining voter.
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Also in regard to County Line Road and future projects, authority members voted to approve locking meters with an established inactive status.
Secretary Linda Jordan reported that their King & Spalding legal representative had filed a response to the Alcovy Shores & Water Authority lawsuit.
Water technician Tom Brazil reported that Environmental Protection Dept. (EPD) testing for copper and lead was near compliance. He also said that testing of approximately six miles of newly installed pipe on the County Line Road project would begin today.
Chairman Roger Bell and Merrill Clark attended a recent meeting with Newton County Commission chairman Aaron Varner to discuss amending their existing water purchase contract from 300,000 gallons per day to 750,000 gallons per day. Authority members reviewed and approved a draft letter requesting the increase.
Chairman Bell also reported that some malfunctioning meters from Delta Municipal had been replaced.
With an eye on future projects, Engineer Sherrill provided authority members with a “very preliminary” financial and physical sketch of what could become the authority’s next big project. It would include providing water within the area of Hwy. 142 north of Shady Dale and Post Road. The project could possibly qualify for USDA loan/grant funding.
After further review of the project and its subsidiaries, authority members plan to discuss it during the December meeting.
Authority members entered into executive session for purposes of personnel to review four applications for a part-time meter reader position.
