Unauthorized use of water meters and water leaks almost too numerous to count aren't the only problems faced by the City of Leesville's Water Department.
With just six people on staff and one backhoe among them, the crew had been, until recently, perpetually under-resourced. The lack of equipment has meant that in the past, the water crew could work on only one ruptured water line at a time. With an average of 15-20 leaks per week, they were constantly behind, said David Sage, city administrator.
"Since the last time we met, 37 water leaks have been repaired in the city," Sage told the city council at its last meeting, August, 23. That's more than a couple of water leaks per day. The increase is due mostly to the city having rented a second backhoe and splitting the crew in half, in effect doubling their production.
"We're keeping up now," said Sage, who was hopeful that the city could return the rented backhoe soon. "But if not, we'll have to go to the city council for a tractor. "You're paying for it one way or another," he added. "The less repairs we have, the more money we have for other things."
In fact, a lack of working equipment seems to haunt the city.
"It had gotten so bad that the city was subcontracting with local plumbers to help us keep up with the work," said Mayor Robert Rose during a recent tour of the city. Using subcontractors in a pinch is okay, said Rose, but it shouldn't be the way the city operates on a normal basis. "If you have equipment that's not working and the manpower, then you're really mismanaging your resources." In recent weeks, the city has begun ending the process of subcontracting plumbers and given the city's workers the tools they need to do the job. "We were spending thousands of dollars, and we had people on the payroll being paid to do the job."
But the problem with the city's water is deeper still.
Take the water lines in the La. 28 and La. 117 areas. Two-inch water lines feed dozens of homes in the area all the way up La. 117 to Mary Hunt Road, but it's less than an ideal situation. The two inch lines, in two different areas, run for a total of two miles to feed the customers on La. 117 with water, hardly sufficient for the number of people connected into it, especially during high usage times like the summer. One of the biggest problems is extremely low pressure, especially for those at the end of the line on Mary Hunt Road.
"It comes down to a trickle," said Sage. By the end of the day, the water is all but nonexistent.
A leaky valve at the north water tower in the city's industrial park drew attention to the problem recently.
Rose said the water tower was offline when he took office. "We can't find anyone in the city that can tell us how long it's been leaking," said Rose. "They finally just turned it off to stop the water loss."
In order to restore some pressure to Mary Hunt Road, the tank was filled and the valve opened, which, though it helped the customers on Mary Hunt Road, also caused a free flow of water into the AmeriTech parking lot and into Anacoco Creek. The leak has since been fixed by city employees who took the valve apart, replaced some parts and then put it back together and reinstalled it.
But the problem at Mary Hunt Road hasn't disappeared said Sage.
"All you can do to fix the two-inch problem is come in and put a new line in the ground," said Rose. "That's all you can do. You can only get so much water through a two-inch water line."
Rose said his administration is developing a master plan for the city which would include replacing the lines along La. 28 with six-inch lines. Engineering for the future, though more costly at first, is a necessity that in the long run would be cost efficient. For instance, the city is taking a 12-inch water line to the new Market Basket being built at the intersection of La. 28 and U.S. 171.
"When I took office, the city had two grants in hand .... We had one grant for $300,000 to build a new city hall; well that wouldn't build a new city hall. We were supposed to raise the rest of the money. We had another grant for $360,000 to build a civic center. That wouldn't build a civic center."
In the end, Rose said that with the help of Senator John Smith, the city had the grants converted to expand its water and sewer capacity.
"Now we're taking a 12-inch water line to Market Basket, and across to La. 28 and ending it at Country Club Road," he said. "It costs a little more today, but over the life of it, it's cheaper ...The cost of doing work today is always cheaper than it will be down the line," he added.
Once a 12-inch line is in place, then the way has been paved for more businesses to come in. And, of course, once more businesses come in, then the city's tax base, and concurrently its ability to meet its needs, grows.
|
|
|
Unauthorized use of water meters and water leaks almost too numerous to count aren't the only problems faced by the City of Leesville's Water Department.
With just six people on staff and one backhoe among them, the crew had been, until recently, perpetually under-resourced. The lack of equipment has meant that in the past, the water crew could work on only one ruptured water line at a time. With an average of 15-20 leaks per week, they were constantly behind, said David Sage, city administrator.
"Since the last time we met, 37 water leaks have been repaired in the city," Sage told the city council at its last meeting, August, 23. That's more than a couple of water leaks per day. The increase is due mostly to the city having rented a second backhoe and splitting the crew in half, in effect doubling their production.
"We're keeping up now," said Sage, who was hopeful that the city could return the rented backhoe soon. "But if not, we'll have to go to the city council for a tractor. "You're paying for it one way or another," he added. "The less repairs we have, the more money we have for other things."
In fact, a lack of working equipment seems to haunt the city.
"It had gotten so bad that the city was subcontracting with local plumbers to help us keep up with the work," said Mayor Robert Rose during a recent tour of the city. Using subcontractors in a pinch is okay, said Rose, but it shouldn't be the way the city operates on a normal basis. "If you have equipment that's not working and the manpower, then you're really mismanaging your resources." In recent weeks, the city has begun ending the process of subcontracting plumbers and given the city's workers the tools they need to do the job. "We were spending thousands of dollars, and we had people on the payroll being paid to do the job."
But the problem with the city's water is deeper still.
Take the water lines in the La. 28 and La. 117 areas. Two-inch water lines feed dozens of homes in the area all the way up La. 117 to Mary Hunt Road, but it's less than an ideal situation. The two inch lines, in two different areas, run for a total of two miles to feed the customers on La. 117 with water, hardly sufficient for the number of people connected into it, especially during high usage times like the summer. One of the biggest problems is extremely low pressure, especially for those at the end of the line on Mary Hunt Road.
"It comes down to a trickle," said Sage. By the end of the day, the water is all but nonexistent.
A leaky valve at the north water tower in the city's industrial park drew attention to the problem recently.
Rose said the water tower was offline when he took office. "We can't find anyone in the city that can tell us how long it's been leaking," said Rose. "They finally just turned it off to stop the water loss."
In order to restore some pressure to Mary Hunt Road, the tank was filled and the valve opened, which, though it helped the customers on Mary Hunt Road, also caused a free flow of water into the AmeriTech parking lot and into Anacoco Creek. The leak has since been fixed by city employees who took the valve apart, replaced some parts and then put it back together and reinstalled it.
But the problem at Mary Hunt Road hasn't disappeared said Sage.
"All you can do to fix the two-inch problem is come in and put a new line in the ground," said Rose. "That's all you can do. You can only get so much water through a two-inch water line."
Rose said his administration is developing a master plan for the city which would include replacing the lines along La. 28 with six-inch lines. Engineering for the future, though more costly at first, is a necessity that in the long run would be cost efficient. For instance, the city is taking a 12-inch water line to the new Market Basket being built at the intersection of La. 28 and U.S. 171.
"When I took office, the city had two grants in hand .... We had one grant for $300,000 to build a new city hall; well that wouldn't build a new city hall. We were supposed to raise the rest of the money. We had another grant for $360,000 to build a civic center. That wouldn't build a civic center."
In the end, Rose said that with the help of Senator John Smith, the city had the grants converted to expand its water and sewer capacity.
"Now we're taking a 12-inch water line to Market Basket, and across to La. 28 and ending it at Country Club Road," he said. "It costs a little more today, but over the life of it, it's cheaper ...The cost of doing work today is always cheaper than it will be down the line," he added.
Once a 12-inch line is in place, then the way has been paved for more businesses to come in. And, of course, once more businesses come in, then the city's tax base, and concurrently its ability to meet its needs, grows.
