July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Contract workers planned
Jay County Regional Sewer District
The Jay County Regional Sewer District is inching closer to contracting maintenance and billing services for its forthcoming sewer installations.
"In all likelihood we will be doing private (contracting) ... for maintenance and ... billing," said sewer board president Gerald Kirby Monday night, though he added that nothing is official at this time.
The district had toyed with the idea of asking Portland and Dunkirk wastewater staff to maintain its three projects - one near Foxfire Drive south of Portland and the Skeens addition and Willow Drive projects in Dunkirk - but scrapped the idea after looking toward the future.
"The Jay County Regional Sewer District is not going to be doing just these two projects," Kirby said. "You can be assured of that."
The district is responsible for providing maintenance for the sewer systems, which will mostly pertain to repair on grinders and pumps located along the sewer lines.
Kirby said the plans to utilize a private plumber and a private billing company have not been finalized yet, but that the district had already spoken with those parties and would likely move in that direction.
Monday night's meeting also served as a public hearing for residents in the Foxfire project, which includes Foxfire Drive and some houses along Ind. 67 south of Portland.
An update on planned projects near Dunkirk was given Monday by Kirby to members of the Dunkirk City Council (see related story elsewhere on page 1.)
"The Foxfire plans have already been approved by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management," said Ben Adams of Commonwealth Engineers. That project could kick off any time, he said, but the district is waiting for final engineering to be completed on the two Dunkirk projects before moving ahead.
Residents at the meeting asked specifically about a tap fee to tie in and Portland wastewater superintendent and board member Bob Brelsford said the board is negotiating with the city to work out an agreement.
"As far as a tap fee, I don't know if that will happen," he said, mentioning that the City may waive the $550 fee or treat the project as one connection and spread the cost across all residents.
That fee would be for the connection of new sewer lines to an existing city line near Poet Biorefining, located on county road 200 West.
"I'd like to see that waived or taken care of," Adams said. Residents will already have to pay for the decommissioning of their septic system as well as the cost to lay pipe to connect their home to the sewer line.
"Anyone who puts (a connection) in would have to get the county health department's approval," Kirby reminded after one resident mentioned renting a backhoe and doing the installation himself.
Resident Bill Hinkle, who also serves as town attorney for both Portland and Dunkirk, asked about a backup power source for the pumps and grinders in the case of a power outage.
Adams said the plans did not include a backup at this time, assuming that when the power is out, residents won't be able to draw water from the well either. But Hinkle mentioned several people have generators and was concerned about sewage backflow.
"I will definitely take it under advisement," Adams said of a secondary power source. "We'll try to work that into the mix."
"We're going to fix it so when Bill needs to flush, Bill can flush," Kirby said.
The board and Adams handled the typical gripes about the estimated $60 per month sewer bill during the hearing. But board member Joe Sommers, who lives within the scope of the Foxfire addition, spoke from both sides in defending the project.
"This is by far cheaper than putting your own system in," he said.
In other business Monday, the sewer district board:
•Decided to change future meeting times to 5:30 p.m. to alleviate conflicts with the Dunkirk City Council meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. Kirby attended the Dunkirk meeting Monday to answer questions for city officials and residents.
•Welcomed new board members Tim Kesler, the Dunkirk wastewater superintendent, and Don Reef, New Corydon.[[In-content Ad]]
"In all likelihood we will be doing private (contracting) ... for maintenance and ... billing," said sewer board president Gerald Kirby Monday night, though he added that nothing is official at this time.
The district had toyed with the idea of asking Portland and Dunkirk wastewater staff to maintain its three projects - one near Foxfire Drive south of Portland and the Skeens addition and Willow Drive projects in Dunkirk - but scrapped the idea after looking toward the future.
"The Jay County Regional Sewer District is not going to be doing just these two projects," Kirby said. "You can be assured of that."
The district is responsible for providing maintenance for the sewer systems, which will mostly pertain to repair on grinders and pumps located along the sewer lines.
Kirby said the plans to utilize a private plumber and a private billing company have not been finalized yet, but that the district had already spoken with those parties and would likely move in that direction.
Monday night's meeting also served as a public hearing for residents in the Foxfire project, which includes Foxfire Drive and some houses along Ind. 67 south of Portland.
An update on planned projects near Dunkirk was given Monday by Kirby to members of the Dunkirk City Council (see related story elsewhere on page 1.)
"The Foxfire plans have already been approved by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management," said Ben Adams of Commonwealth Engineers. That project could kick off any time, he said, but the district is waiting for final engineering to be completed on the two Dunkirk projects before moving ahead.
Residents at the meeting asked specifically about a tap fee to tie in and Portland wastewater superintendent and board member Bob Brelsford said the board is negotiating with the city to work out an agreement.
"As far as a tap fee, I don't know if that will happen," he said, mentioning that the City may waive the $550 fee or treat the project as one connection and spread the cost across all residents.
That fee would be for the connection of new sewer lines to an existing city line near Poet Biorefining, located on county road 200 West.
"I'd like to see that waived or taken care of," Adams said. Residents will already have to pay for the decommissioning of their septic system as well as the cost to lay pipe to connect their home to the sewer line.
"Anyone who puts (a connection) in would have to get the county health department's approval," Kirby reminded after one resident mentioned renting a backhoe and doing the installation himself.
Resident Bill Hinkle, who also serves as town attorney for both Portland and Dunkirk, asked about a backup power source for the pumps and grinders in the case of a power outage.
Adams said the plans did not include a backup at this time, assuming that when the power is out, residents won't be able to draw water from the well either. But Hinkle mentioned several people have generators and was concerned about sewage backflow.
"I will definitely take it under advisement," Adams said of a secondary power source. "We'll try to work that into the mix."
"We're going to fix it so when Bill needs to flush, Bill can flush," Kirby said.
The board and Adams handled the typical gripes about the estimated $60 per month sewer bill during the hearing. But board member Joe Sommers, who lives within the scope of the Foxfire addition, spoke from both sides in defending the project.
"This is by far cheaper than putting your own system in," he said.
In other business Monday, the sewer district board:
•Decided to change future meeting times to 5:30 p.m. to alleviate conflicts with the Dunkirk City Council meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. Kirby attended the Dunkirk meeting Monday to answer questions for city officials and residents.
•Welcomed new board members Tim Kesler, the Dunkirk wastewater superintendent, and Don Reef, New Corydon.[[In-content Ad]]
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