By: Charles Romans
Carter County Times
The Grayson Utilities Commission officially approved a Change Order in the amount of $53,566 on August 29, to replace a water line on Fourth Street in Grayson. This was not included in the original bid, but it was beneficial to the city for the replacement to be done while other work was being completed in the area, according to the commission.
The order had been discussed at the previous meeting and then – when the figure was submitted – it was approved via phone so that the project could proceed while the equipment was in the area. Opell Excavating started that project on August 25, and was completed by August 27. The area was paved by the day of the meeting on August 29.
“Today was the original final completion date,” Director Gerald Haney told the commission. “So, they met that date. And we had given an additional thirty days to complete the change order, but they were able to complete that by the original completion date as well.”
Haney said within the next thirty days, Opell will complete their ‘punch list’ items as well. Punch list items, Haney explained, were those items that finalize a project and can range from additional cleanup to the small repairs needed to finish off any large project. Typically, the engineer will go over the site with the contractor to determine such lists, then when they have been completed, the one-year warranty period begins.
“We plan on paving in early September,” Haney said.
As part of the project, Opell Excavating paved the areas where the roadway had to be torn up. The final paving will be done by another company and will cover the entire affected roadway.
In other business, Haney discussed the rise in cost for installing new water taps. Haney said the cost of all the equipment necessary to install a new water tap has increased dramatically. If the city council approves a raise to tap installation fees, Haney said, any raise would not affect existing taps whatsoever, including the new taps that were installed during the just completed water line project. And no one with a preexisting (paid) application for a water tap would be affected either.
On a regular three-quarter inch tap, with regular pressure, a tap assembly includes a main, a saddle, a stop (for an instance where it needs to be shut off, and each tap includes two). Haney said the stops, for instance, cost the commission $9.43 in 2023. The price today, he said, was $58.63 – an increase of $49.20 for a single part of the tap assembly. The copper setter that holds the water meter itself has also raised in price, Haney told the commission. What was $37.58 in 2004 is now $270.86 – an increase of $233.28. The pipe used for the meter well, that is notched to allow plumbing the tap, was $14.75, and is now $38.64 – an increase of $23.89. The lid covering the water taps have also increased dramatically, Haney said, increasing from $12.00 to $80.99.
“This shows the price has gone up a lot,” Haney told the commission. “But in areas where we have high pressure, we have to use a different style of setter (that costs $491.00) that allows us to not only put the meter in the box but also a pressure reducing valve. And that pressure reducing valve is $158.00.”
High pressure on water lines sometimes reaches 170 pounds, depending upon terrain, and must be reduced before being fed to homes or businesses.
The cost of a tap is $1,002.81 for standard and $1,381.58 for a high-pressure line. Haney said it will become necessary to raise all taps for water, sewer, and gas to meet the rising costs. One potential solution, he said, was to make a flat $1,500 water tap fee for new taps on regular pressure lines and $2,000.00 for areas requiring a pressure reduction valve.
The matter will need to be discussed further, and any changes would most likely require a change to city ordinances.Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
