July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.

Repairs needed at Dunkirk plant (6/15/04)

Mumbower tells council of additional work required

By By Robert [email protected]

DUNKIRK — More problems for the city water department surfaced this week.

Superintendent Dace Mumbower told city council members Monday night that sometime Sunday night or early Monday morning a coupling on a four-inch pipe at the city water plant burst, causing water to be sprayed over nearby computer and sensoring equipment while no one was at the plant to immediately respond to the problem.

Mumbower said that when he discovered the problem shortly after 7 a.m. Monday, the east side of the building was flooded due to the large leak on top of one of the plant’s six filtering mechanisms.

Speaking at Monday night’s city council session, Mumbower said that city workers were able to “put a clamp on the leak,” temporarily stemming the flow of water. But repairs to the mechanism itself will have to be made by M.K. Betts of Anderson, the firm which built the new plant.

Mayor Sam Hubbard said the damage to the computer and sensoring devices should be covered by the city’s insurance policy, but the city would have to cover the expenses related to repairing the coupling.

Meanwhile, the plant is continuing to operate with five of its six filters functioning, Mumbower said, adding that some other operations now must be done manually until the computer repairs are completed.

Hubbard said Monday evening that city officials were already in the process of contacting the necessary people to make the repairs. But he was disappointed that such a serious problem had already occurred at the plant which is only a few years old.

In other business Monday, council members unanimously agreed to extend the current contract for refuse removal service with BestWay Disposal Company of Modoc.

Council members agreed to a six-month extension at an increase in price of about $300 per month from approximately $6,660 to $6,960 per month — or $5.55 per household up to $5.80 per unit — for weekly pick up.

Councilman Dan Watson said this would give city officials time to prepare bid specifications so that a new three-year contract could coincide with the start of the calendar year in 2005. The extension is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2004.

In other action, council members:

•Learned that the Dunkirk Saint-Gobain Containers plant had been awarded the honor of being named a “Select Status Supplier” by the Anheuser-Busch Corp., brewers of Budweiser beer.

“This is a very prestigious award in the vendor business. They will have a celebration in their parking lot on Wednesday, June 23, at 2 p.m.,” Hubbard said.

•Heard a report from Hubbard that work started Monday morning on the demolition of two dilapidated, vacant buildings at 120 and 124 S. Main St.

Hubbard said attempts to have the structures demolished prior to the Glass Days Festival did not work out, but the job should be completed by the end of this week.

Also a sidewalk in the area along Lincoln Avenue will be removed, Hubbard said. A related item discussed Monday evening concerned the status of the northern wall on the remaining building to the south. Hubbard said he would look into ways to try to improve the appearance of that wall, perhaps having some sort of siding placed against it.

•Unanimously approved a donation of $100 toward expenses relating to hosting a lunch at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the West Jay Community Center for participants in the Indiana COPS (Concerns of Police Survivors) 1,000-mile bicycle ride through the state.

•Voted to send a letter to the Jay School Corporation in an effort to prevent the elimination of the West Jay Middle School tennis courts in favor of a parking lot.

Councilwoman Connie Whetsel said she had sent a letter already as a private individual. Whetsel said she had heard other community members also were sending letters, and she urged more to do so.

Hubbard said he also favored keeping the tennis courts, as they are the only ones in Dunkirk. “I don’t think it would hurt to write a letter,” Hubbard said, noting the council members hadn’t previously been asked for an opinion.

There are people in the community who like to play tennis, and “if the school doesn’t use them (for an athletic team or classes), I don’t know why,” Whetsel said.[[In-content Ad]]
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