City of Oakwood prepares for repairs

The Oakwood City Council held a special meeting this week to determine what to do about a recent water line discovery that could pose problems for the residents on Main Street.

Through routine maintenance checks and the repair last week of a portion of the city’s water line on Main St., it came to the attention of City Water Superintendent Tommy Reese that the city had a big problem on their hands. This portion of water line, dating back to about 1978, is one of the few that have not already been replaced over the last few years. It is definitely time to do so now. While replacing a joint that had broken loose, Mr. Reese discovered that the pipe was made of cast iron and has bubbles forming along the inside of it that are apt to burst over time and flush large amounts of rust into the water. Not only does that cause concern for the filter system but, also the potential for the line to burst again is extremely high. Although the system is due to have a regularly scheduled filter media changed, that is no longer the priority. According to Stacy Salguero, City Secretary/Court Reporter, the council feels that just changing the filter media would be the equivalent of putting a band-aid on the problem. According to Mrs. Salguero, the city has no intention of allowing this to happen. She tells us, "The council wants this to be fixed right. They want it done as quickly as possible too. So, Tommy is going to get started on it right away.".

The decision made at the special City Council meeting was to cap off the line running from the water tower, under the city office building, under Hwy 79, and down Main Street. A brand new water line, made from PVC pipe, will be laid underground between the city buildings and run over to the corner of Whitt St. before going under Hwy 79 and continuing down South Main St. It was decided that this would be the quickest solution to the problem. It happens to be the most economical as well. It would take a lot more money and time to dig up the offending water line. It makes much more sense to run the new line between and around the buildings rather than under them. It will save time and money in the future as well. Anyone making repairs or doing routine maintenance on this water line in the future will appreciate not having to dig under the City Office to reach it or worry about damaging the building in the process. The decision to cross Hwy 79 at Whitt St. instead at Main St. was made to lessen the chance of traffic interference. At the intersection of Main St. and Hwy 79 is Oakwood's one and only traffic light.

The Council had decided to obtain bids for the replacement of the well filter media at last month's regular meeting. The Council has now received several bids to replace the filter media and will do so within plenty of time to ensure the continued upkeep of the wells. As this process will be outsourced, it will leave Mr. Reese free to replace the line on Main St.

The only thing that the Council needs now to complete these repairs is patience. With only one city maintenance worker on staff, who is solely responsible for all repairs, routine maintenance, mowing, meter reading, tree trimming, and anything else that is asked of him, it may take a little longer than in a bigger city to complete the repairs. Mr. Reese is known for taking great pride in his work. When you work alone, you had better make sure it's your best. He hasn't let the City of Oakwood down before and has no intentions of doing so now. With Mr. Reese on the job, the Council is confident that it will get done quickly and get done properly so that they don't have to worry about it again for many, many years to come.