Water woes hot topic for Redkey (09/28/07)

REDKEY - Delivering good news and bad news from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, town council president Doug Stanley said Thursday that IDEM had issued Redkey an "early warning order" concerning its water plant and system.

This means the town should start steps immediately to improve the situation, Stanley said. He pointed out that the good news was Redkey was currently in the process of applying for state and federal grants to help construct a new water tower and other improvements.

This warning letter actually should strengthen Redkey's case in connection with its need for grant funding, Stanley said.

During peak periods over the past two years, demand has exceeded plant capacity, the IDEM warning states, making the present Redkey water plant distribution system inadequate for the needs of the community, Stanley said.

The average daily amount pumped by the Redkey water plant over the past two years is 111,000 gallons, under the rated capacity of 155,000 gallons.

But the average of five peak daily use periods is 180,000 gallons, the warning from IDEM states.

On one day in August, 2006, the system was actually required to supply more than 350,000 gallons of water, according to the IDEM records.

The town's maximum Oak Street water tank storage capacity of 75,000 gallons is also inadequate, Stanley said. Town officials also point out that due to the condition of that tank, it is not practical to fill the tank to the top. This could present a problem if there was ever a major fire in town, they added.

Stanley said that he and other town officials have met with IDEM representatives over the past few weeks. He said IDEM is willing to work with the community on these issues, but they want to see some progress being made.

Basically the town's water plant facilities are inadequate to meet current demands - let alone any future demands, Stanley said.

Redkey utilities department employee Violet Erlenbush said that Commonwealth Engineering Inc., Indianapolis, was preparing a formal response on behalf of Redkey to the IDEM warning. Commonwealth is also attempting to secure the necessary federal and state grants to improve the system, Erlenbush said.

She agreed with Stanley's assessment that the IDEM warning could work in Redkey's favor since it emphasizes the overall importance of obtaining grants to help correct the situation. Basically, IDEM is backing up Redkey's position that water system improvements are greatly needed.

Also Erlenbush explained that IDEM officials are asking for some progress concerning the town's ongoing problems with combined sewer overflows. She said that during periods of heavy rain or melting snow, the town's combined sanitary and storm water sewage system is inadequate, and sewage occasionally escapes into nearby streams and waterways.

"As you all know our sewer lines are outdated and need to be fixed," Erlenbush told town council members Thursday night.

"IDEM wants us to work on this problem. We have an agreed order to do so, and we need to start doing what the agreed order says," Stanley emphasized. He added that IDEM officials have supplied the town with charts and directions about what should be done.

In other business at Thursday night's town meeting, council members:

•Talked about the possibility of starting proceedings to annex Redkey Industrial Park. Town attorney John Brooke said he would start work on this project.

Councilman Charles Noble suggested it was time to act on this issue, and Stanley and other council members agreed.

•Presented a plaque to Redkey native Gary McCowan thanking him for his service to the United States and Redkey by serving with the U.S. Army in Iraq. Stanley said Sgt. McCowan recently returned from two tours of duty in Iraq and deserves recognition and praise.

•Agreed to let the Redkey Fun for Kidz organization hold a carnival May 29-31, 2008, blocking off town streets as necessary.

•Set Halloween trick-or-treat hours for 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 31, in Redkey. The Redkey Volunteer Fire Department will sponsor its annual costume contest and parade for children at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 31.

•Noted that the volunteer fire department is sponsoring a fund-raising breakfast from 6 to 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6, at the Redkey Fire Station.

•Set Saturday, Oct. 20, as the tentative date for the annual fall cleanup in the community.

[[In-content Ad]]REDKEY - Council members here unanimously approved second and final reading of the 2008 town budget Thursday night following a brief public hearing.

The 2008 budget will require a property tax rate of approximately $1.25 per $100 assessed valuation, clerk-treasurer Sandy Kirby said.

The 2007 tax rate is $1.02 per $100 assessed valuation, she pointed out, noting that the new budget will include pay increases for town employees.

Also at Thursday's meeting, Kirby explained that overall the town's financial situation was on the upswing. For instance she said at the beginning of 2006 the Redkey utility (water and sewer) funds were $10,000 in the red. Currently the water fund has a surplus of $29,000 and the sewer fund is reporting a surplus of $49,000.

"We've made a lot of progress," Kirby said, sparking a round of applause from members of the audience.