THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 9, 1994 TAG: 9411090334
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A17 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONI WHITT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
Voters, by a 3-to-1 margin, approved a $23 million bond issue for water and sewer improvements.
James R. Spacek, the public utilities director, had worried that with all the controversy and conflict in the U.S. Senate race, Portsmouth voters would ignore the question of whether to approve the local bonds. ``I wish I could find a way to make it more sexy and glamorous,'' Spacek said while the polls were open on Tuesday. ``God knows we tried.''
Nearly 60 percent of those voting in Portsmouth cast ballots on the bond referendum. There was no organized opposition to the referendum.
While it may not be sexy, Spacek said, the bonds will mean improved services to more than half the city.
``People take these for granted until they completely fail,'' Spacek said. ``We're trying to take care of these things on a phased-in basis before they do completely fail.''
The Utilities Department put together a plan for rehabilitating the city's water and sewer systems. Much of that includes replacing old and deteriorating lines throughout the city.
``A lot of the older neighborhoods have 2-inch galvanized pipes that have rusted and corroded from the inside out,'' Spacek said. The city started replacing aging pipes about three years ago, he added.
Nearly $2 million of the bonds will be used for those pipes and to add new fire hydrants to the area. Spacek said it will take 11 more years to replace all the pipes.
An additional $1.3 million in bonds will be used to replace water and sewer mains in neighborhoods where the city has already promised to fix drainage problems.
``It's economical that way,'' Spacek said. ``While you have one contractor in there tearing up the street, you go ahead and drop another line.
``One thing cities get accused of is as soon as a street is repaired we're back in there tearing it up again - that's why the coordination is there.''
A new $4 million water tank at Godwin Street will mean better water pressure and therefore better protection in case of a fire or other emergency, he said. It also means the city will be better equipped to meet peak water demands.
The new tank will replace one that was built during World War II. Chemicals used in the tank's construction have begun turning into a gel and are contaminating the water. Currently, there is no health risk, Spacek said, but he is afraid there might be in the future.
Nearly $14 million of the bonds is earmarked for federally mandated improvements to the city's water treatment plant.
KEYWORDS: ELECTION PORTSMOUTH RESULTS by CNB