Published: November 28, 2008 09:14 pm      

RLCD meets with city to examine water issue

By TESA CULLI

tesa.culli@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — The city hasn’t had any dialog with those residents and officials of the village of Waltonville which want to detach from the Rend Lake Conservancy District and discontinue getting water from the city, according to RLCD Board member Jim Rippy.

“I learned there has been no contact with Waltonville about any water issue,” Rippy said after meeting with city leaders as promised during an RLCD meeting. “They have been preparing a proposal for a contract to provide water to Waltonville for the contract that expires in February.”

Former Waltonville mayor George Gifford spoke to the RLCD Board on Monday to criticize the district for extending a contract with the city to provide water to Waltonville and to not provide water to any customer which purchases water from the city. Gifford said he believes the contract is “unfair and should be corrected. It’s an absolute absurdity when we have a line across the road ... and we can’t tap into it.”

Rippy asked Gifford if he had discussed the water contract with the city, and Gifford said no, but that he had talked about it in the past. Rippy and RLCD board member Jim Dolwick both expressed that Gifford and those citizens he speaks for in Waltonville, McClellan and Elk Prairie Townships don’t have an issue with the district, but with Mt. Vernon.

“After talking to the city, and finding out the elected officials are negotiating a contract with Mt. Vernon, to be honest, I don’t believe the conservancy district was the proper place for the discussion.”

According to City Manager Ron Neibert, he met with Gifford in May, while Gifford was still the mayor of the village to discuss the upcoming contract, which is set to expire in May. Neibert said he drafted a new contract for the village for review.

Neibert said after Randy Dees was appointed to fill the mayoral position of Waltonville when Gifford resigned in August, he spoke to Dees about the draft contact.

“On any other issue regarding Waltonville water, we have had no contact with them,” Neibert said.

Dees also said he had received a copy of the proposed contract, but he and the village board are now questioning whether they should sign.

“We were going to probably sign it at the December meeting,” Dees said. “Now, I’m going to recommend we wait. We have until February to do this and see what plays out with the conservancy district, and take that route. Right now, if we signed, the contract would have Mt. Vernon making $29,000 per year on the water they sell us. If we could buy directly from Rend Lake, we would be saving $15,040 per year.”

The water main which provides water from Mt. Vernon to Waltonville runs along Triton Lane, with the master meter located on North Triton Lane, Neibert said. The city maintains the line up to the master meter, while Waltonville maintains the line from that point.

“Our line on Triton Lane goes all the way up here,” Dees said. “They put the line in 1969, with no help and hardly any people hooking on. We were blessed with the coal mines that bought water from us and brought the volume up. We use about 4 million gallons a year now.”

Dees added that village officials at that time were Mayor Elmer Hart, Treasurer Emil Norris, Clerk Marion Newell and trustees Dale Knight, Gene Philp, Paul Davidson, Ronald Shurtz, H.C. Dees and Noble Chiapelli.

Waltonville now supplies water to the city of Nason in Elkville Township, residents in part of Bald Hill Township, Blissville, part of McClellan Township and the village. The village is considering another main line, and a second pump station southeast of Waltonville. According to Gifford, the village provides water at a markup of about 20 percent to its customers.

“I do question the Rend Lake Conservancy District running a line one mile south of Waltonville and selling the water to Nashville and Washington County,” Dees said. “I’m glad they can provide the water to those people who need it and I’m glad we have water for our customers in South Bald Hill [Township] to the Washington County Line.”

Dees said at the last meeting of the Waltonville Village Board, village engineer Wally Cox was instructed to do the preliminary work and estimates of what would be involved in putting in a second pump station and hooking onto the Rend Lake water lines.By TESA CULLI

tesa.culli@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — The city hasn’t had any dialog with those residents and officials of the village of Waltonville which want to detach from the Rend Lake Conservancy District and discontinue getting water from the city, according to RLCD Board member Jim Rippy.

“I learned there has been no contact with Waltonville about any water issue,” Rippy said after meeting with city leaders as promised during an RLCD meeting. “They have been preparing a proposal for a contract to provide water to Waltonville for the contract that expires in February.”

Former Waltonville mayor George Gifford spoke to the RLCD Board on Monday to criticize the district for extending a contract with the city to provide water to Waltonville and to not provide water to any customer which purchases water from the city. Gifford said he believes the contract is “unfair and should be corrected. It’s an absolute absurdity when we have a line across the road ... and we can’t tap into it.”

Rippy asked Gifford if he had discussed the water contract with the city, and Gifford said no, but that he had talked about it in the past. Rippy and RLCD board member Jim Dolwick both expressed that Gifford and those citizens he speaks for in Waltonville, McClellan and Elk Prairie Townships don’t have an issue with the district, but with Mt. Vernon.

“After talking to the city, and finding out the elected officials are negotiating a contract with Mt. Vernon, to be honest, I don’t believe the conservancy district was the proper place for the discussion.”

According to City Manager Ron Neibert, he met with Gifford in May, while Gifford was still the mayor of the village to discuss the upcoming contract, which is set to expire in May. Neibert said he drafted a new contract for the village for review.

Neibert said after Randy Dees was appointed to fill the mayoral position of Waltonville when Gifford resigned in August, he spoke to Dees about the draft contact.

“On any other issue regarding Waltonville water, we have had no contact with them,” Neibert said.

Dees also said he had received a copy of the proposed contract, but he and the village board are now questioning whether they should sign.

“We were going to probably sign it at the December meeting,” Dees said. “Now, I’m going to recommend we wait. We have until February to do this and see what plays out with the conservancy district, and take that route. Right now, if we signed, the contract would have Mt. Vernon making $29,000 per year on the water they sell us. If we could buy directly from Rend Lake, we would be saving $15,040 per year.”

The water main which provides water from Mt. Vernon to Waltonville runs along Triton Lane, with the master meter located on North Triton Lane, Neibert said. The city maintains the line up to the master meter, while Waltonville maintains the line from that point.

“Our line on Triton Lane goes all the way up here,” Dees said. “They put the line in 1969, with no help and hardly any people hooking on. We were blessed with the coal mines that bought water from us and brought the volume up. We use about 4 million gallons a year now.”

Dees added that village officials at that time were Mayor Elmer Hart, Treasurer Emil Norris, Clerk Marion Newell and trustees Dale Knight, Gene Philp, Paul Davidson, Ronald Shurtz, H.C. Dees and Noble Chiapelli.

Waltonville now supplies water to the city of Nason in Elkville Township, residents in part of Bald Hill Township, Blissville, part of McClellan Township and the village. The village is considering another main line, and a second pump station southeast of Waltonville. According to Gifford, the village provides water at a markup of about 20 percent to its customers.

“I do question the Rend Lake Conservancy District running a line one mile south of Waltonville and selling the water to Nashville and Washington County,” Dees said. “I’m glad they can provide the water to those people who need it and I’m glad we have water for our customers in South Bald Hill [Township] to the Washington County Line.”

Dees said at the last meeting of the Waltonville Village Board, village engineer Wally Cox was instructed to do the preliminary work and estimates of what would be involved in putting in a second pump station and hooking onto the Rend Lake water lines.