City moves forward on pump purchase

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  • The city of Como approved a purchase for grinder pumps at the lift station Tuesday night. Archive
    The city of Como approved a purchase for grinder pumps at the lift station Tuesday night. Archive
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Another step taken toward federal funds use

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Many water system projects are in the works for the city of Como, and Tuesday its city council approved the purchase and installation of a grinder pump for the city lift station at a cost of about $3,700.

“Let’s go ahead and get that done,” mayor Jerry Radney said. “That’s been pending for quite a while.”

Bids for replacing pumps on a city water well are still coming in, and water operations director Craig Vaughn said one bid came in at over $7,000. The particular water well, referred to as Well 1, has been plaguing the city with problems for years. The council will wait for more bids to come in before making a decision later.

The city is also considering replacing the float gauge system in a water tank, and its bid is $6,850, said Vaughn. Vaughn added he could rig a gauge of his own, but it would require tapping the bottom and top of the tank, something that might cause leaks.

Vaughn also discussed a bid quote for running a sewer line down Highway 11, a measure that would alleviate long-standing problems with sewage backing up on McBride Street. The bid was significantly cheaper than a previous bid, and Radney said once the bid has been reviewed, it would likely be approved in a future meeting.

In other items, Como selected GrantWorks to be the city’s project service provider related to federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Discussion and possible action of street bids were listed on the agenda, but Radney said those bids had not been received yet. Councilmember Austin Baxley suggested a special meeting could be called for the approval of the bids to speed along the process.

“That’s what I’m thinking,” Radney concurred. “The longer we wait, we’re going to get into rainy season again, and we’re not going to get our roads done.”

The council also thanked Precinct 2 Commissioner Greg Anglin for patching up McBride at no cost to the city.