I think it is safe to say we have received enough rainfall this week. There were reports of flooding in Payette and Ontario. I was pleased when driving around Weiser Monday morning to see that most of Weiser’s storm-water drains were working well with only some minor backing up.
Speaking of water, in case you happen to live or are driving up north of the Golf Course you may notice a little activity on the water tower that greets you on the right-hand side. Last Monday, a major rehabilitation project started on the tower which was built in the 1950’s. This project will repair steel work in the roof and paint the tower inside and out.
The roof is what prompted the need for rehabilitation. The moisture within the tower was gradually weakening the structure.
In 2021 and 2022 the City received a total of $1,156,000 in Federal dollars to be used for water, sewer, or broadband projects. The City planned to use half the funds for the tower and half for a waste-water project. The City’s engineer predicted the bids to be between $600,000 and $750,000.
However, the low bid for the tower project came in at $1,038,800. The only other bid was in excess of $1.9M. Talk about sucking the air out of the room.
The choices were to either go ahead with the project, hold off to see if prices would come down this winter when building demand was lower, or put the project on hold for some time in the future. After checking with other contractors known to the City who did not bid, we found that materials cost were the driving force on the bids.
So, the City chose to proceed with the project knowing that the cost would probably not come down and putting the project off for a later time would only mean the roof would deteriorate further and add to the cost down the road. (In case you were wondering, the cost of a new tower would be in the ballpark of $4.5M.)
In other City news this week, Pat Malay in the Street Department would like you to know that if you have trees that hang over the streets, you may want to trim them in the next couple of weeks. If you are unable to, the Street Crew will be doing it for you starting soon. However, the trees will be shaped to the needs of the City vehicles and to make street signs visible. Aesthetically, the City’s tree-trimming may not be pleasing to the eye, but it will be functional.
So, if your tree hangs over the street or sidewalk, needs trimming, and you would like to maintain its curb appeal, you may want to take care of it soon.
Also, if you would like to see an interesting sight, you may want to watch your nearest manhole cover on September 12. At that time, Lonnie Chambers in the Waste-Water Department will be smoke-testing the sewer lines for leaks. The process involves going to different points in town and pumping smoke into the lines to see where, if any, smoke comes out of the lines so they can detect where repairs need to be made.
You also may want to make sure your home’s p-traps have water in them, otherwise you may find harmless smoke coming from your sink, tub, or shower. It could prove interesting. So, please mark September 12 on your calendar and run a little water down your drains.
Well, that’s it for this week. I hope you have a great one!
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