BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The Bloomfield Board of Aldermen meeting Monday night drew approximately 20 people who had questions about a proposed $10 million bond issue to pay for improvements to the water and waste water system. The bond issue will be on the Aug. 5 ballot for voters inside the city.
The city plans to replace all water lines (80,000 linear feet) within the city, install new hydrants, gate valves and meters and rehabilitate and paint existing water towers at an estimated cost of $5 million. The upgrade to the wastewater lagoon includes upgrades to the treatment plant at an estimated cost of $3.5 million.
Mayor Donna Medlin said someone had filed a complaint with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) about the city not having a licensed water and waste water superintendent overseeing those city water and sewer departments. Despite rumors that the city had been fined, Medlin said DNR sent an investigator and found no violations by the city.
Medlin said Justin Bell is over the water and waste water departments, and has concluded his classes and is in the process of being certified. She said Kenny Ewing is licensed as is Rick Huffman. Both are helping oversee the systems in Bloomfield while Bell awaits certification.
Medlin also addressed allegations made in a circular distributed in the city opposing the bond issue. She took issue with the contention that the entire water distribution system did not need to be replaced. One resident cited a project in Jackson where cameras were installed in water lines to find leaks and make repairs to those lines
Medlin said since the beginning of the year, the city has had to repair 46 breaks in water lines. She said the old water lines are made of iron and were installed in the 1950s, which is past their designed period of service. She said the project in Jackson involved only one sub-division, and the water line was one size. She said it was not practical for an entire system where water lines are different sizes.
Medlin said opponents also maintained that there were not plans to upgrade the sewer system. She said that was not true. The lagoon will be upgrade to meet more stringent regulations. Also opponents maintained there were not water pressure problems in the city, which Medlin said some area of the city have inadequate water pressure. She said the new rate structure would allow the city to set aside money for maintenance to the system.
Medlin said the plans for replacing water lines in the city would include having few lines running across streets. She said there would be some cuts made in streets during the project, but those would be contracted for repairs when the project was completed.
"Whoever is putting out this information against the bond issue is doing the city a great injustice," said Medlin.