By V. Hugh Lewis II, publisher
Watch the video of the meeting here
The Jefferson City Council received an update during the regular City Council meeting Tuesday night on the water and sewer project currently underway.
Project Manager Jeremy Buechter, with Schaumburg & Polk, told Council they were down to the last $769,210 of the project.
“The water line replacement is essentially complete,” said Buechter. “They’re down to final tie-ins and cleanup.”
The sewer side of the project still has work in progress on Henderson, Dallas, Walnut and Bateman’s Alley and will start again “pretty quickly” according to Buechter.
Further questioning by Hugh Lewis did not narrow down the timeframe for work, but City Public Works Director Alan Whatley, said afterwards they will have to start immediately following Thanksgiving to meet the Mardi Gras deadline on Bateman’s Alley indicated by Alderman Victor Perot.
Alderwoman Tyranni Braddock brought up a general lack of communication and professionalism by the crew performing the work. Citing the five days a group of buinesses on Walnut and Lafayette streets went without water, despite being informed of the situation, Braddock asked what was being done to correct situations like this and the impact the work will have on Candelight.
Buechter acknowledged the problem and said he would readdress the matter with the contractor David Lawler.
Construction on Soda Street is still in limbo due to project overages and Buechter indicated as the remaining portions of the project progress the work on Soda will be determined. Buechter indicated the biggest expense on the work on Soda is the repaving of the street.
“The contractor is a plumbing contractor,” Buechter said, “and they are doing street patches, so their cost of repaving is much higher.” Buechter went on to indicate the City might be better off to pay to have the street paved separately after the water and sewer work was completed.