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Russ Nuss and the Capital Construction crew are laying piers and plumbing at the new Grays Building/ Staff photo by Taylor Nye
Water shutoffs won't be collected indefinitely, Maxwell says
The city of Sulphur Springs is proceeding with Pacific Park, and will strategize about how to recoup costs from suspending water cutoffs, according to a report by city manager Marc Maxwell at the Oct. 6 city council meeting.
WATER SHUTOFFS
As a part of the city’s response to COVID-19, Sulphur Springs has suspended the practice of cutting off water service for non-payment, Maxwell informed the council.
However, according to Maxwell, citizens with 423 accounts owe a total of $86,000. This represents 6.3% of all accounts, Maxwell said.
“I have not planned on reinstituting cutoffs until a vaccine is available,” Maxwell told the council. Instead, Maxwell proposed the council consider having residents pay a sixth or a twelfth of their current bill.
“We want them brought current in another six months or twelve, although this is likely a few months away,” Maxwell noted.
“I just wanted to put this out there so that you would have plenty of time to consider an equitable path forward,” Maxwell said. The council stated they would think about a financial plan for water accounts.
PACIFIC PARK
The piers for the new Grays Building have been poured to a depth of 18 feet, Maxwell told the council. Once Capital Construction’s Russ Nuss is finished installing the below-ground electrical conduits, Potts Concrete Construction will finish constructing the concrete foundation, Maxwell said.
“We’re pretty fortunate in the Capital Construction division,” Maxwell said. “We have a lot of people with a lot of skills.”
Plumbing is currently going in as well.
“When it’s done, we know it will be done right,” Maxwell said of Nuss’s work.
Maxwell also added that the future Grays building contains “a lot of piers,” and the building “should never have any foundation issues.”
SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTER – Construction drawings are being prepared by REES Associates, Maxwell said. The city plans on hiring Don Roundtree to manage the construction under the same arrangement the city has currently with the Grays Building.
BELLVIEW STREET – ATMOS has finished replacing their gas line, and the city will now rebuild the intersection at Texas Street, Maxwell said.
MCCANN STREET – The sewer main and water main have both been replaced, Maxwell noted. The city will now begin replacing both curb and gutter, and then the street will be repaved at the same time as Bellview Street.