Durham water plant changes chemicals
Contributing writer
Marvin Rediker, water supervisor, suggested a change in supplier to AquaMag at the Durham City Council meeting July 2. "AquaMag would be $58.75 less per drum from Diane Patton, the woman who installed the system, than from the present company," he said.
Verlin Sommerfeld moved to buy from Patton. On a second from Manual Kushda, the motion carried.
Mayor Glennon Crowther asked Sommerfeld if he had any problems to report regarding collection of water fees. "I tried to shut off a water meter, and they had parked their van so that I couldn't get to it," he said. "I talked to their landlord. He said he'd straighten them out. I guess he did, because they paid their bill before I could take out the meter." He said he will send one letter to a customer behind on his bill, but no one will have service discontinued this month.
Rediker said he had sent water for a radioactive test for the first time in addition to the regular samples for other tests, but has not received a report.
During the month of June 555,780 gallons of water were pumped, as compared to 463,000 gallons in May. Sommerfeld confirmed that 120,000 more gallons of water were sold in June than the previous month. The lift station pumps ran 46 hours.
The mayor read a letter from Linda Ogden clarifying the use of funds contributed by cities to Communities in Schools. She explained that those funds are used for administrative expenses. Money used to assist families financially with living expenses comes from a donation from Prairie View intended for that purpose. Crowther asked whether the council wished to reconsider support for CIS.
There was some discussion of work done by the organization. Gary Unruh asked Joyce Medley, city clerk, for her opinion of the program, which Medley felt is worthwhile.
Reinhold Winter moved to give $100 to CIS. Ben Goertz seconded the motion, which passed.
Goertz said he had talked to Thayers about mowing around the sewer ponds, and they agreed to do it again.
Goertz also suggested that some stop signs in the city need to be replaced.
Unruh added that a street sign in the south part of town has broken off and volunteered to put it back up.
The mayor said he had put up the new flags, and he will talk to Fred David about repairs to the floodlight illuminating the flags.
Among bills approved for payment were $332.27 to Jim's Plumbing for repairing a water leak, $129.75 for a tractor tire repair, $181.17 for meter boxes, and $19.86 for flowers for one of the decorative planters on the city's streets.
