The Mountain Eagle
WHITESBURG WEATHER

Deane water project continues; others to follow




Phase II of the Deane Water Project is now underway and water lines installed as part of Phase I are now in service.

At the February meeting of the Board of Directors of the Letcher County Water and Sewer District, Steve Caudill of Bell Engineering told the board that a preconstruction meeting was held for Deane Phase II and the contractor was instructed to begin construction by February 20. The work will include extending lines to Mill Creek and Shelby Fork, although both areas were left out of AML approved funding, The funding for Mill Creek/Shelby Fork comes from a combination of funds allocated by the Kentucky General Assembly and leftover funds from several completed projects.

Caudill also asked the board to give Bell Engineering permission to advertise for a geo-technical consultant to conduct drilling for site preparation to set a water tank and pump station as part of Phase III of the Deane Project. The board voted unanimously to allow Bell to advertise.

Ronnie Miller and Sons, contractor for Phase I of the Pert Creek/Pine Creek/ Cram Creek Waterline Extension Project, has been granted 34 additional days for weather related and other delays by the board. Caudill said part of the delay is due to a request from Abandoned Mine Lands, which funds the project, for diagonal drilling to allow lines to be placed so they will not be damaged by potential earth slips. The diagonal drilling will add $72,000 to the project budget and will be paid for by AML.

Caudill said Miller and Sons has worked a lot in very bad weather but some of the weather has been so bad that it was dangerous or impossible to work because of water filling the construction sites. The board voted unanimously to accept the change order.

Bell Engineering also assisted the Kentucky River Area Development District with information necessary to prepare a project profile for the Millstone Sewer Project that will allow the work to be funded through unexpended Kentucky Infrastructure Authority funds. A meeting is scheduled for February 27 to review the design.

A meeting is also scheduled with the City of Vicco and James River Coal to ensure an uninterrupted water supply from Vicco to homes near the Letcher/Perry line that were connected by James River Coal and to homes that will be connected in the Bull Creek/Elk Creek work that will begin soon. James River Coal will be mining on the Vicco side. Funds from KIA in the amount of $500,000 have been allocated and Caudill said he anticipates the Bull Creek/Elk Creek project going to bid within 45 days.

The Premium/Route 160 Project has been advertised for bid, and bids will be opened on March 5 at at l1 a.m. The Letcher County Fiscal Court approved allowing the district to use county rights of way at Premium for water lines at its February meeting.

Plans and specifications have been designed to connect the Millstone Water Project with lines from the Payne Gap Project at Martha Jane Potter Elementary School. Line extensions have been approved to run lines to side roads on the US 119 Spur from US 119 and Highway 805 at Kona.

Kim Padgett of the Rural Community Assistance Project announced that anyone in the Dye Addition area who wishes to sign up for water service should call the water district office at 633-8550. Padgett added that she has submitted reports for the district to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The board also voted unanimously to sign a contract with the Kentucky River Area Development District to administer the funding for the Craft’s Colly Sewer Project.

Superintendent Mark Lewis told the board he had conducted a leak survey on water lines in Craft’s Colly and found and repaired one large leak in a four-inch pipe. Lewis said workers are also using leak detection equipment in the Whitco area and they have done a number of cutoffs and lock offs on delinquent accounts in the last month.



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