Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 17, 1994 TAG: 9403170158
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
Pulaski Town Councilman Andy Graham sounded the alarm at a council meeting Tuesday night. Dublin Town Council meets next at 7:30 p.m. tonight.
"What are we going to tell those who plan to start building this summer?" asked Graham, who is a candidate for mayor. "I've preached this for a long time on this council. I never got any serious response from it. ... It's time to stop talking and do something."
Each town is allowed a certain amount of water to carry its waste to a treatment plant. But both towns were notified March 10 that they had used more water than they were allocated for three straight months.
Under their user agreements with the Pepper's Ferry Regional Wastewater Authority, each town "is to cease the issuance of any further building permits until it has made arrangements to assure further capacity for the town," said Charles Maus, executive director of the authority.
Otherwise, Maus said, the towns must either provide corrective action plans at the authority's April meeting or arrange for additional water capacity from the authority.
Maus said it is obvious in both cases that the flow increase was because of water loss within the town systems.
The towns exceeded the 95 percent level of their allocated flows for the past three months, and must reduce their flows to less than 85 percent.
Graham, who represents Pulaski on the authority, has been pushing for years to have the town upgrade its water system to stop water losses from leakage.
Mayor Gary Hancock reminded him that no money has been budgeted to cover such work, which would be costly.
"Because previous administrations have ignored it," Graham said. "But I know one thing - if you don't correct it, you might as well lock up this town."
Pulaski is considering the purchase of a mobile television unit that can check out its water and sewer lines from inside and detect corrosion or other problems.
Graham said the unit should be bought soon, and that Public Works Director Mike Jenkins should be given extra employees to fix leaks as they are found.
During recent ice storms, when electricity fluctuated and affected power at the pumping station, the authority staff put in 233 hours of overtime or compensatory time.
In other business Tuesday night, Pulaski Town Council held a public hearing on a consultant's recommendations for changing the town's water rate structures. No one spoke for or against the recommendations, which were referred to council's Finance Committee.
Hancock said a tentative date of June 11 has been set to dedicate the renovated train station building given to the town by Norfolk Southern Corp. The town has spent several years repairing it as a community and visitors center and to house the Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce, now in the Pulaski Municipal Building.
He said a steam train excursion from Roanoke to Glade Spring through Pulaski may be part of the events that day. Passengers on the train will be able to visit Pulaski for several hours and the town would offer tours of historic buildings, musical performances, arts and crafts, and possibly Civil War battle re-enactments.
Council agreed to fund these activities. Further details will be available in the next few weeks.
by CNB