Redkey upgrades approved

REDKEY — Town officials are moving forward to upgrade water and sewer utility plants and equipment here.

Following a recommendation from town council president and wastewater treatment plant superintendent Violet Erlenbush, council members Monday authorized spending $9,385 to install Geotube containment and dewatering equipment at the Redkey wastewater plant.

Erlenbush said this new technology will replace dilapidated equipment at the plant which would cost a great deal more to repair and upgrade. The Geotube system involves the pumping of sludge from the plant into large plastic tubes which gradually fill up with sludge which is then transported to a landfill. Erlenbush said that once the system is functioning, it will probably be necessary to replace the large plastic tubes about once every two years. A new tube will cost $650, she said.

Erlenbush said that Eaton and Mount Summit use this relatively new system, which will be purchased from Blue River Technologies, New Castle.

The fee for having representatives from Blue River Technologies install the new equipment is included in the quote, Erlenbush said. This technology was developed by Ten Cate Nicolon, an international company with offices in the United States, The Netherlands and Malaysia.

She pointed out Indiana Department of Environmental Management officials had visited the plant for an inspection earlier Monday, and were aware of the town’s plans to use this new technology.

Overall, the IDEM inspection report was quite positive, Erlenbush said. No violations were discovered during the visit. Also an IDEM representative wrote in the report, “Ms. Erlenbush has made remarkable progress in operating, maintaining and improving the treatment plant. The town has a limited budget, but plans have been scheduled for more improvements and although progress is slow, it is steady.

“The town needs to support efforts to improve the functioning of the plant. Currently, sludge waste is behind schedule as the digester needs repairs. The operator plans to install new Geotubing for sludge,” the IDEM representative reported.

Funds for the new Geotubing project will come from money which Redkey recently received from Norfolk-Southern Railroad as part of an agreement to allow the railroad to make changes to its right-of-way and rail tracks in the community.

This new technology will save the town thousands of dollars in the long run, Erlenbush said.

“Violet’s put a lot of thought into this, studying new technology,” Councilman Darrell Smith said, as he made the motion to approve the proposal which passed unanimously. Erlenbush said that Monday night’s action marked the culmination of two years of work on her part.

Also Monday night, Erlenbush said town officials are in the process of trying to repair or replace water meters throughout the town. This move will allow for accurate readings from all the meters in the community for the first time in many years, she said.

In other business, council members discussed plans to retain an engineering firm at a cost of $2,700 a month for six months to help them in their efforts to make utility system improvements.

Also Monday, Redkey council members:

•Learned the town now has seven reserve police officers. They include Bruce Rathbun, Kenny Haines, Brian Scott Philebaum, Weldon Hines, Eric Young, David Bumbalough and Delford Lowe.

•Approved plans to help with traffic control in connection with the dedication of a new War Mothers Monument in downtown Redkey near the fire station. This Memorial Day ceremony is planned for 10 a.m. on Monday, May 31.

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