The preliminary engineering report for the proposed overhaul of the Sheridan Water System is out and the problem is that there are no hydrants for the south side of town. Fire Chief Butch Thomas told the Sheridan City Council that as fire chief, he was concerned that the south side would be unprotected in the event of a fire in that part of town. The proposed new water main would run on the north side of 246 and then loop to the north. In the worst case scenario, Thomas said that would mean that the Fire Department would have to hook up to a hydrant on the north side and run a line 4-5 blocks across 246. Thomas said that he had talked to the State Fire Marshall and other fire people and that they had told him such a plan was “unacceptable.”
Thomas said that another concern was that it would result in higher insurance rates for city residents since insurance companies set insurance rates in part based on how close one lives to a fire hydrant.
Mayor Leland Wake said that the plan was not written in stone. Arnie Kreek of the Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments, who was at the meeting, said that he would look into the matter.
Kreek was at the regular Sheridan City Council Meeting last Monday to talk to the city about where they were at with regards to a new water system. A few years ago, when Sheridan originally applied, they combined their application for a water system overhaul and an emergency hookup to the Hopkins Rural Water District. At that time, the Missouri Wastewater Application Review Board asked questions about a proposed $103,000 hookup fee for the project. That fee has been taken care of and the city now has an emergency hookup. The city separated the hookup and the overhaul applications and the city is now pursuing overhauling the water system.
Based on the 2000 census, the city qualified for the low to moderate income status for Community Development Block Grant funding automatically. Kreek said that the current overhaul application would be based on the 2010 census figures and he wasn’t sure if Sheridan still qualified. The initial application will take around a month to complete, followed by an environmental review for the project. This will cost the city around $3,000 to $5,000; this review is separate from the one done for the overhaul. This review would take anywhere from 4-6 months and would take into account the existing plant. The project would be put out for bid. Mayor Leland Wake said that nothing was written in stone about closing the plant.
The USDA, CDBG, and DNR would determine the loan/grant ratio. Under the proposed project, every house would get new water lines. The upper limit is $5,000 per customer for CDBG funding or around $500,000 total given around 100 households in Sheridan. Mayor Leland Wake said that he did not think that a bond issue would be required for this project. Grant City passed a bond issue to replace their 11 mile water line a few years ago.
Outgoing Water Superintendent David Parman gave his final report at the meeting. The city fixed two water leaks during the past month. One was near the former Bob Finch residence. Another flooded the Sur Gro building. Barry Lyle will be the new Water Superintendent while Parman will serve as backup operator. Chuck Zook will also help with the water system. The city put up a new aerator on the south side of the plant. The city transferred some money from the general account to the water fund to pay off bills.
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