Gainesville Superintendent and City Council discuss water supply for new fields’ irrigation

Gainesville School Superintendent Justin Gilmore attended the Aug. 8 regular Gainesville City Council meeting to discuss water needs for irrigating the school’s new baseball and softball fields, which are currently under construction in a parcel of land the school owns across from the high school.

The request

“The school has to have water for the ballfields. We’d like to put a well in there... It’s only going to be used for irrigation. It’s not going to serve toilets or anything else. We already have water for all that stuff... City ordinance says that you can’t have a new well, so that’s something that the council would have to approve or disapprove,” Gilmore says.

Gilmore said the irrigation system needs to provide 50 gallons of water per minute, which will require a booster pump if the water is pumped from a well or through the city’s public water system.

When Maintenance Supervisor Mike Davis suggested that it would likely be cheaper for the school to use city water than drill a well, Gilmore said it would probably only be cheaper for the school in the first year to go that route.

“Here’s where this started. We want a meter, so we have to have a 3-inch line to get the kind of gallons per minute that we’re talking about... that’s no problem. But the 8-inch line is on the other side of the road. So, we’re going to have to bore under the road to get the line under there. That’s about $4,000 give or take... just to get it across the road not even in the vicinity of where the lines have to start. Then it’s a $20,000 booster pump on top of that,” Gilmore said. “[If we had a well] we’ll have to have a pump, but its not nearly as sizable as a booster pump that would be needed for that because there will be a different gallons per minute coming out of a 5-horse pump, which will give us the 50 gallons per minute.”

Gilmore estimated that it would probably be about $20,000 for a well to be drilled, but that the school wouldn’t have to pay for city water, saving money in future years.

“So, it makes sense in the long run financially for us to go with a well,” he said.

He said that there is another option the school is exploring to utilize a parcel of land adjacent to the school that is located outside the city limits where it could drill a well and pump water down to the fields.

“As far as supply, we have plenty of supply. We have a 345-gallon per minute pump on our well, and a 100,000 gallon tower,” explained Water Specialist Jessi Price.

The ordinance

When the council seemed hesitant to approve the request, Gilmore asked what the reasons would be as to why they wouldn’t allow the well to be drilled.

City Clerk Lisa Goodnight responded, “...it’s not why the school can’t. It’s why anyone can’t. It’s because they had an election in 1970, and from that election, the ordinance was made. The ordinance states that any new or improvements have to be attached to the city utilities. The election in 1970 was to organize the water and sewer system as one, and the city would be in charge of that. So that deferred all of the maintenance to the city. There were people who had wells throughout the city, and they disconnected those... that’s how the water and sewer started. That’s why that ordinance is in place. But he’s absolutely right, [the city council] can do a variance to give them permission to drill a well. That’s an option.”

Water specialist Jessi Price pointed out that residents within the city have also requested permission to drill a well for watering cattle and other purposes, but they’ve been told they can’t drill a well due to the city ordinance.

An alternative request from the school

Gilmore said that the school will be seeding the fields Oct. 1, so he anticipates irrigation will need to be in place by mid- to late-September.

As an alternative, Gilmore requested that the city pay to run the 3-inch water pipe under the roadway.

The council voted unanimously to split the cost with the school, up to $8,700, to get the 3-inch line under the roadway. Councilwoman Renee Schmucker clarified that the cost would normally be the responsibility of the customer, but the council is offering to pay half as a courtesy to the school.

Gilmore said he would take the option to the school board, and it would make a final decision about the direction the school will go for the irrigation water supply soon. The school board discussed the issue in closed session during an Aug. 14 school board meeting, but because it was closed session, minutes were not available to the public. Gilmore told the Times after the meeting that he believes there will be news to share on the situation in the near future. Watch the Times for updates.

Request to purchase former airport property

Mayor Gail Reich said that Monty Hambelton and the Freedom Church has requested to purchase 3 to 5 acres of the land the city has retained from the former Gainesville city airport. City Clerk Lisa Goodnight said Hambelton said the church has outgrown its space at The Center, and they are looking for 3 to 5 acres close to the school to build a church.

Councilwoman Lana Bushong clarified that Hambelton also talked to her and said he’d actually be interested in buying the whole city-owned piece as part of an effort in which they’re looking into putting in a swimming pool if a grant could be obtained. The pool would not be a city-owned pool, but instead would be a privately-owned pool that may be open to the public if the owners chose to do so.

The council mentioned that they haven’t decided if they want to sell the former airport land. Councilwoman Treva Warrick said that the council is also looking into a grant to potentially provide housing on the property. The council tabled the discussion until more information could be gathered.

Road closure during H&H

Doug Hawkins was also in attendance at the meeting in reference with his request to close a portion of Third Street during the Sept. 21-23 Hootin an Hollarin festival for free kids games. The section to be closed will be from the corner of Main and Third Street to Leeton Luna Lane (which runs behind Molly’s Salon and Boutique, the Historium and other buildings on the west side of the square). The area will remain closed throughout the festival with the exception of the Saturday parade. City Clerk Lisa Goodnight clarified that the city doesn’t usually have any input on what streets are closed during Hootin an Hollarin. The city council voted unanimously to allow the closure.

Road maintenance

The city attorney prepared a written agreement ahead of the meeting concerning an collaborative effort between the city of Gainesville and Ozark County concerning the maintenance of Plentywood Lane, Hill Springs Lane, McClendon Drive and part of Holmes Lane, all of which are gravel roads within the city. The agreement states that the city will purchase rock and material for maintaining the road and the county will haul it and use their equipment to spread it.

The council, with the exception of Dana Crisp who abstained from voting due to his home being on one of the roads, voted unanimously to continue with presenting the agreement to the county.

Sidewalk handrail

The council discussed handrails on the sidewalks along Third and Main Streets. The handrail extension quote would be for an additional $4,500 for 25-feet of additional handrail space.

Sixty feet of handrail is already provided in the original bid, but the extra 25-feet would extend it further along the sidewalk for continuity reasons. There was some discussion about what is ADA-compliant, and Mayor Gail Reich said anything that is 12-inches or lower does not require a handrail. The council decided not to extend the handrail beyond the ADA-compliant section.

That 60-foot section of handrail is currently being manufactured and will be installed when it is finished.

Maintenance/water report

Maintenance Supervisor Mike Davis said the city has been doing regular maintenance and continuing to locate various utilities. He said they’ve also been working down at the sewer treatment plant and fixed a few sewer main breaks.

Davis said that a water line replacement is finished near the water treatment facility, but the accompanying dozer work has not yet been completed. Davis said there is some equipment that the water treatment facility needs.

A sewer line was replaced near the Gainesville Healthcare Center and discussed. Davis said it was recommended that the brush around the sewer lines be cleared so it is more accessible. The council voted unanimously to put bids out for the clearing.

Water specialist Jessi Price said that the city’s water loss hasn’t changed a lot from last month. Price said the crew found two leaks and fixed them the week before, so it will show improvement.

Wastewater treatment facility contract/fence

The council discussed signing a contract with Big Piney Environmental for wastewater treatment facility work. The contract would be for a once a week testing and cleaning, with the other days’ work completed by the city employees. The cost would be $2,400 per month. The council voted unanimously to sign the contract.

The council also discussed fencing around the wastewater treatment facility. The council voted unanimously to get bids for the project.

Gainesville VFD report

Ed Dorion submitted a fire department report that included details on the recent repairs made to the Gainesville fire trucks and other equipment.

Doiron included a request for funds for reimbursement for radios as part of a county-wide project, but the council members were unclear on the request. The topic was tabled until further clarification could be obtained.

Bill adjustment request

Donnis Taylor submitted a letter on behalf of Westridge Apartments requesting an adjustment be made to their sewer bill. The apartment building had a water leak, and a city employee found the leak.

The sewer charge was $680 for the month. The three-month average was around $330 per month.

The council voted to split the bill with her. The apartments will be responsible for $340, and another $340 would be forgiven, as is their typical arrangement for similar instances.