By Katie Northcott, News Director
At a Coffee County Health, Welfare, and Recreation Committee meeting on Tuesday, April 28, County Commissioner Tim Morris reported that Manchester Water & Sewer is unwilling to install a 4-inch water line to serve residences on J.E. Sartain Road.
During a tense exchange at the Manchester Water & Sewer Commission meeting on Thursday, April 9, Manchester Mayor Joey Hobbs said that the city would not help fund a 6-inch water line for a water and sewer project on county land and would not install a 4-inch water line.
The Coffee County Commission approved $36,000 to be allocated to the project, which would pay for a 4-inch water line, but is $30,000 short of the cost of a 6-inch water line.
“We’re going to have to do 6-inch because was what suggested to us so that we don’t have to go back and fix it at some point,” Manchester Mayor Joey Hobbs said at the April 9 meeting.
At the April 9 meeting, Ken McMahan, a resident of J. E. Sartain Road, eventually volunteered to pay for about 2,500 feet of pipe if the city would guarantee him an amount of free taps equal in value to the amount he spent on buying the sewer lines.
Find the original reporting on Morris’s discussion with the Manchester Water & Sewer Commission here.
At the April 28 meeting, Morris reported the events of the April 9 meeting, which precipitated a discussion about the future of water and sewer services in the rural parts of the county.
“I think everyone needs to realize that a lot of these pipes, especially in my area are 4-inch water lines, and I’m getting a lot of calls or complaints about low water pressure, no water, cloudy water when the pipes shift and burst,” Morris said. “One day, it’s going to have to be redeveloped.”
Morris expressed concern that neither the county nor the City of Manchester would be able to afford to take on a project to replace the 4-inch pipes with larger pipes. Morris said problems with low water pressure would likely continue for 10 years before being fixed.
Commissioner Dwight Miller criticized the city for being unwilling to run a 4-inch water line to J.E. Sartain Road since the area is zone A1 and less likely to be developed.
“I understand why they don’t want to spend that much money for that few of customers, but I was in the business. It’s just something you need to be doing if you’re in the business,” Miller said.
Miller said that the city and county should do what they can to help residents who are “stuck” in hard situations regarding water and sewer service.
Morris said that when the city runs smaller lines, it risks creating future problems, and he said he would continue to look for solutions.
“I swung, and I struck. I’m not out, but I have strike one,” Morris said.
The post Morris Takes “Strike One” on J.E. Sartain Road Water Line Project appeared first on Thunder Radio.
