HUMBOLDT Emery Sapp & Sons, the Kansas City, Mo., company that will rebuild U.S. 169 from southeast of Iola to south of Humboldt will pay $20,000 upfront to purchase water from Humboldt, City Administrator Cole Herder told council members Monday night.
That will be about $2,000 more than cost of materials for Humboldt to extend a 2,000-foot six-inch main to within 1,000 feet of a batch plant the company will use to mix concrete for the rebuild.
They think 4 million gallons will be needed, Herder said, which will send about $32,000 Humboldts way for water purchases, or 60 percent more than guaranteed reimbursement.
To reach the plant, Emery Sapp & Sons will add a 1,000-foot above-ground line.
Advantage otherwise is Humboldts and area to its east. Herder explained the water mains extension will help with development within its reach, much on land owned by Joe and Jane Works, well-known for massaging growth and expansion in Humboldt, including their B&W Trailer Hitches complex along the north edge of town.
The Workses already stood the cost of removing a corridor of trees at their edge of their property where the main will be laid.
City crews will cut a trench and lay the line.
Yet another advantage is the extension will put Humboldt water within easy reach of Rural Water District No. 8. Herder said the city and RWD No. 8 had had preliminary discussions about a mutual aid agreement, which could benefit either if an emergency arose.
Humboldts plant is rated at 1 million gallon capacity a day, and typical use in the city is 300,000 gallons a day. While Herder wasnt certain the water districts daily demands, he thought Humboldt could meet its needs if the occasional arose.
IN OTHER BUSINESS, council members:
— Erased a five-day limit on use of Camp Hunter Park at the southwest corner of town for campers. That will open it to construction workers for an upcoming sewer project and the highway rebuild, who might like the tranquil environs the park offers. Cost, including electricity, is $10 a day.
— Will decide later whether to refit a time and temperature readout on the large sign outside City Hall that identifies the building as that and police headquarters. Also, they will weigh in definitively on whether a parking space may be dedicated in some manner for Heavenly Kneads and Threads at the corner of Bridge and Eighth streets. Owner Carolyn Zellner said the emergence of Opies has made it difficult for her to find a space to frequently load and unload supplies at her store. She said her age made it difficult to carry heavy parcels.
— Made no change in a vicious dog ordinance, which bans pit bulls and rottweilers. That was the Safety Committees recommendation, after a change was sought by some residents.
— Noted citywide cleanup would be April 13 for residents north of Bridge Street, April 14 to the south. Brush and limbs will be picked up April 16.
