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Marion will install new water line

Project aims to improve pressure in neighborhood

news@theeveningtumes.com

Marion has decided to lay a new water line along two blocks of Cherry Street to help increase water pressure for residents.

The current water line is a dead end mine and needs to be looped to increase the pressure.

The Water and Sewer Committee considered two options- extending the line for one block, which would impact about nine homes and cost about $13,000, or going two blocks, which will affect 15 homes and cost about $25,000 – and decided on going two blocks.

Mayor Frank Fogleman said the water department will do the work rather than hiring a contractor.

“We’re going to recommend that our guys – as they can get to it – run the water line and make the new connections with the goal of looping the line and eliminating the dead lines that we have there,” Fogleman said.

Fogleman said they still have not determined though whether they will need to add a fire hydrant or whether there are already sufficient hydrants there to meet the code requirements.

“It is still unresolved,” Fogleman said. “We want to make sure we are compliant with ISO for firefi ghting standards,” Fogleman said. “If we determine that we are not, then we will put a hydrant in.”

The city has a large water line that runs along Neely Street which intersects with Cherry that they can WATER LINE

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use for a hydrant.

Fogleman said they have not set a timeline in when they will start the project, but expects it will be sometime in the early spring.

“The weather is not very permitting at this time and we don’t want to rut anyone’s yard up if we don’t have to,” Fogleman said. “There’s going to be some yards dug up. But we don’t want to make it any

worse.”

Fogleman said the city will most likely do the work in stages, similar to what they did on Oak Street.

The city will start on the south end of Cherry and work its way north.

“We may do so many feet in one day and then (Water Department Manager) Jim (Shempert) may not be able to get back to it for a couple of days,” Fogleman said. “Then he will do the next distance.”

By Mark Randall