BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The Bloomfield Board of Aldermen is reaching out to its constituents for guidance.
In recent years, the city's water system has become more burdensome with more time spent repairing leaks. Problems with the aging system have also played a role in the complaints the city receives regarding brown water.
Both the water and sewer systems have had issues in the past, but the board feels the time has come for a serious overhaul. As they began investigating ways to pay for it, however, they determined the voice of the people in the community should be heard.
Two meetings were originally scheduled to give local taxpayers a chance to voice their opinion and make suggestions to the board.
The first meeting, originally scheduled for Monday, Jan. 6, 2014, was cancelled due to snow.
Another meeting remains, and if the turnout is sufficient, the board suggested it might still schedule an additional meeting.
The plan is for the Aldermen and Water Superintendent Justin Bell to explain the city's problems, then lay out a series of possible solutions and methods to pay for those improvements.
"We have had 18-20 water line breaks since Jan. 1," said Mayor Donna Medlin. "This goes on every month. When they fix it, rust breaks loose in the older pipes, which is what makes the water turn brown."
Any option to fix these problems will be costly, she said.
"That's why we decided to bring it before the taxpayers," Medlin said.
In recent months, it has been discovered that some of the lines were put in 1940s and 1950s. The lines causing problems range from four to six inches and are made mostly of cast iron.
New regulations from the Department of Natural Resources have also brought sewer repairs and upgrades into the equation.
What the board hopes to find out is whether the city wants to do everything at once or to prioritize one over the other.
The other hope is to determine a method for paying for the project.
Options they are presenting include grant money, low-interest loans and the possibility of placing a bond issue on the ballot. Bob Summers of PiperJaffrey will speak of various financing that may be available to the city.
The questions will all be asked via a survey, which residents will have to submit at the meeting. They will then tally those results before reaching a determination.
"We just have a lot of problems," Medlin said.
She stressed that no decision will be made at the meeting, but that both she and the board hope to see a large turnout.
The meeting will take place on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014, at 6:30 p.m. in the Bloomfield Elementary School cafeteria.