Each week, City Manager Tom Aspell spends hours in his basement workshop trying to remove all the gluten from the cookies he made last week. After several fruitless and laborious hours, all he’s managed to extract are the chocolate chips. Thankfully, they can be used to spell out the city memo.
When it leaks, it pours
Main problem? Mains
The General Services Department’s water crew had its hands full last week dealing with three water main leaks in the city, Aspell writes. Attempts to plug them with chewed gum repeatedly failed, despite the approach’s success in movies.
Saturday night, during the snow event, a water leak near 53 Downing St. on a pipe installed in 1903 had to be repaired. The pipe, as it was repaired, fondly recalled seeing the Cubs win the World Series.
Crews plowing the streets had to be pulled off that assignment to dig up and repair a 6-inch water leak. Approximately 25 customers were without water – aside from the frozen variety falling from the sky – for approximately two hours.
On Tuesday, a leak was reported on South State Street at Fayette Street. A second report of a leak turned out to be just a puddle. Crews had to repair a water service valve that was tapped at the water main that had broken. This valve was installed in 1964. Approximately 17 customers were affected for approximately one hour while the repair was done.
Also on Tuesday, while crews were repairing the South State Street leak, another leak was discovered on North State Street at Call Street on a 24-inch transmission main which was installed in 1941. Crews were able to turn the water off by the end of the day Tuesday and not affect any customers because there are three water mains that go by this area. They are often seen waving to each other as they do. The leak was dug and repaired by late afternoon on Wednesday, and crews paved the trench on Thursday. The cold weather posed challenges for the crew, making them go brrr, as digging through the frost and working on the pipes with the subfreezing temperatures made them difficult to repair.
Expensive free dirt
Piles packing for big move
This week, the city-owned dirt piles on South Commercial Street, near the Friendly Kitchen, will be relocated to the Allied Leather Tannery site to back fill excavations associated with clean-up activities, Aspell writes. All city-owned sand piles will remain untouched until construction begins on city-owned sand castles.
The dirt piles contain approximately 4,500 tons of soil valued at approximately $40,000. So we’re guessing it’s not going to be moved in wheelbarrows. This material was generated by the construction of the Capital Commons project between 2003 and 2005, and was retained by the city for future use at no cost. Free dirt? What a bargain!
Relocation efforts will take approximately one week to complete. Following removal of the dirt piles, the city will loam and seed the property in the spring and the lot will be mowed regularly once turf is established. Whose turf that is will have to be settled the old-fashioned way.
Moving on up
One floor, to be precise
Changes are underway in the Community Development Department, Aspell writes. The Planning Division (currently on the 2nd floor of City Hall) will be co-locating with the Engineering Division on the 3rd floor of City Hall, which will allow for unified customer service. Chandler and Joey will be moving into the vacated second floor apartment.
In preparation for that move, the Planning Office will be closing at noon Jan. 29 and at noon Jan. 31 to afford staff the opportunity to sort and move files. And eat lunch. It is anticipated that the planning staff will be in its new accommodations by mid to late February.
