Water tower will get upgrade

Portland’s water plant is getting an upgrade.  

Portland Board of Works approved replacing a control system on the city’s water tower at its meeting Thursday. 

Board members also purchased a property that may prove useful for future flood mitigation efforts. 

Doug Jackson, the water plant’s superintendent, told the board that much of the control equipment the plant deals with is seriously outdated. Because it was installed so many years ago, fixing it will only become more difficult as time goes on. 

“Luckily, I mean we really haven’t had any issues,” Jackson said. “But there’s going to come a time where we’re not going to be able to get anything (to fix it with). It’s time to come out of the stone age, start upgrading.” 

B.L. Anderson of Lafayette, which will provide and install the new system, recommended several upgrades to the plant. Jackson told the board he wants to start with replacing the water tower’s controls. 

Currently, the tower is operated by a phone line telemetry system. B.L. Anderson has proposed replacing that with a license-free radio system, which is expected to cost about $25,224. The board approved the work, with Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman saying it’s time to update the plant. 

“You know darn well we can’t have the water plant down and the water tower down,” he said. 

Jackson told the board he’d likely ask for approval to upgrade the plant’s main panel controls next summer. B.L. Anderson estimated that cost at $55,206. 

Also on Thursday, the board voted to purchase the property at 305 Blaine Pike, Portland, where a condemned house sits. The land could be useful in the future, Geesaman said, since it is on the riverbank. 

“The ground this house sits on would be valuable for us on flood control down by the Salamonie River,” Geesaman said.

“(As) part of our blight control elimination, it needs to come down anyway, since it’s been condemned property.” 

In other business, the board: 

•Approved the purchase of a new Kubota X1100 for $16,992 from Affolder Implement Sales in Berne for the wastewater treatment plant.

Superintendent Brad Clayton had asked for approval at the board’s previous meeting to purchase a new utility vehicle, as the plant’s current one is old and in need of extensive repairs. 

The board had originally planned to trade in the vehicle, but it needed too many repairs to be worthwhile. Geesaman said the vehicle will likely be sold at an auction in the future. 

•Were informed that a new water tap has been installed at 109 S. Munson Ave., Apartment 11. The meter is not installed yet.