The water line extension to Temple Baptist Church in Morganton should be operational by November, according to Carter & Sloope Engineer Kurt McCord.
During a regular Fannin County Water Authority meeting Wednesday, October 14, McCord said the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)granted the authority a permit in regards to the additional extension near the church.
Workers should be back on the job this week, and the entire project should be operational by next month, McCord said.
Bids for the Deer Hunter Road and Dry Branch Road extension were opened Friday, October 9, and McCord said there was a notable increase in rates as a result of Hurricane Laura in Louisiana, which hit this past August.
There was a 5.2% increase in materials and labor was up 6.7%.
McCord said the cost can be offset by working with the county road department to do road patches instead of using a contractor.
The Environmental Protection Division should have reviewed the project and sent comments back to the authority this week, he added, and he anticipates a November 16 start date and a March 2021 completion.
The council agreed to go forward with the purchasing and ordering of materials, which totals over $154,000.
They also authorized Stanco to get started on the project once the materials are obtained.
A busted water line along Curtis Switch road in Blue Ridge was also discussed.
The line directly feeds the RiverWalk community, McCord told, and the authority had been receiving complaints about their water.
“There was a line break ... on the Highway 60 side, which is the city’s (Blue Ridge) line,” he said. “After that line was repaired, we had a little bit of mud and a lot of air.”
McCord and General Manager Mike Scearce helped to flush the lines for hours, according to McCord.
As a result, the water bill from Blue Ridge is expected to be substantial.
McCord added that they plan to talk with the City of Blue Ridge to see if they can work out a water credit of sorts.
“Just in my time out there, the water quality was getting better,” he said. “I don’t know of any issues as far as, you know, anything that would be a violation on the authority’s side of it.”
In other action, Vice Chairman Larry Chapman moved to table the study on commercial water rates, which passed.