Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 21, 1993 TAG: 9308210127
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
The committee approved the plan Friday. It also will go to Ernst and Young, consultants hired by the town to study water rates and revenue projections.
Assistant Town Manager Rob Lyons said the plan can change over the five years as new needs and priorities show up. "Obviously this is a five-year road map," he said. "These are the projects we can identify now that the system needs."
Committee Chairman Andrew Graham said so many water meters need fixing that funds for them might have to be included among the projects rather than simply as operational costs.
Because slow or nonfunctioning meters cause the town to lose water revenue, Graham said, "You do those things now. . . . You don't spread it over five years."
Councilman Don Crispin said town officials also need to consider overall water needs for the next decade to make sure whatever is installed in the near future is compatible with possible future additions, such as computerizing the system.
Graham said the town needs to think seriously about an additional water source as water use increases. He said the water plant had to operate 19 1/2 hours out of a 24-hour period recently to produce all the water needed, particularly by industry.
But town engineer John Hawley said that might be premature. "We're not that close to having to do anything to our system," Hawley said. "I can change and double our filtration rate."
"Nobody would have imagined a year ago that we'd have three industries expand at the same time," Town Manager Thomas Combiths said. Magnox Inc., Pulaski Furniture and Renfro Corp. have announced expansion plans.
by CNB