City applies for sanitary sewer repair funding

LOGAN — The City of Logan is hoping to start repairing sanitary sewers that are in a dilapidated state across the city, and began the process Monday by approving legislation to apply for funding on the first phase of the project.

Gary Silcott of Stantec Engineering in Logan told council members that an area of concern is Dicken Addition, and estimated the cost to repair cracked and smashed pipes to be $550,000.

Finance committee chairman Jim Robinson garnered support of the project by saying the city has such widespread problems with its sanitary sewer infrastructure that it’s important to pick one area and get started soon.

Silcott noted that in some places, the sanitary sewer is completely gone or smashed in several places, due to tree roots and decades of poor maintenance.

After some question about whether the resolution should be approved as a piece of emergency legislation rather than have the standard three readings in order to allow members of the public their chance at voicing their opinion on the matter, council unanimously decided to approve it as emergency legislation. The deadline to apply for funding is Sept 6, and a special meeting was needed to have three readings.

Still, the approved resolution doesn’t mean city council has officially chosen Dicken Addition to receive the repairs. If awarded, the city can choose to make sanitary sewer repairs in other locations based upon the outcomes of a study currently being conducted by Stantec Engineering, which contracted with the city to collect and analyze data from micro-monitors placed inside the sanitary sewer. The study cost $216,995.

According to Silcott, many problems within the city originate at the top of hills where there’s broken pipe. That in turn contributes to water issues at homes located at the bottom of hills due to water runoff. Fixing the problems on the hilltops is needed before those at the bottom can be repaired.

Councilman Dave Driscoll said that would be a hard sell for people in his district. “You can come with me when I tell them,” he told Silcott.

Other approved legislation

Council members unanimously approved an emergency ordinance to appropriate $6,026.11 to pay for repairs to the second response vehicle at the Logan Fire Department.

Council also unanimously approved an ordinance appropriating $3,000 to repair damage to a mausoleum at Oak Grove Cemetery following a recent storm.

An appropriation of $5,500 from the general fund to pay for legal notices in The Logan Daily News as well as street light maintenance also was unanimously approved.

Council approved appropriating $1,250 from the water fund and an additional $1,250 from the sewer fund to pay for a part-time clerk.

Members of council also unanimously approved an ordinance to create a new line item within the Federal Emergency Management Agency Fund and appropriate $33,109 to the new account. The dollar figure represents the amount FEMA paid the City of Logan as a result of cleanup from the June 29, 2012 Derecho.

Pending legislation

On Sept. 10, council members will vote on whether $35,000 should be appropriated from the sewer fund to pay for utilities incurred at the waste water plant. According to Robinson, when both the old and new plants were running during the transition phase, the city incurred a large electric bill. The $35,000 is anticipated to pay for utilities at the plant through the end of this year.