GORDONVILE PLANNING AN UPGRADE OF ITS WATER SYSTEM

GORDONVILLE -- The Gordonville Public Water Supply District No. 4 Board is considering a $261,000 expansion project to replace and improve its existing water lines.

The board reviewed a report Tuesday night, prepared by a Cape Girardeau accounting firm. The report projected cost margins of the project and its affect on the community water rates over the next several years.

City Engineer Jim Johnson said that the city's secondary pump failed two years ago and was never replaced.

"Every district should have at least two water sources," Johnson said. "The problem now is that if the primary pump goes down, there is no backup water source."

Gordonville faces further complications in that the existing stand pipe will not hold 24-hours worth of water in case the pump goes down. If the pump were to fail, customers could be without water for days.

"The water quality is satisfactory," said Jerry Lorberg, chairman of the water district board. "For us, it's a matter of providing our customers with an adequate water supply."

The city has many options, but not a lot of money.

Southern Engineering Corporation of Cape Girardeau performed a study in October 1992, to evaluate the adequacy of the water system over the next 25 years. The study revealed improvements were needed which included the construction of a new well, standpipe, six-inch water main and painting the existing standpipe.

Two alternatives were proposed by the engineering corporation if the district did not wish to undertake the total project at one time.

The board is opting for a plan that would construct a new well and about 4,000 lineal feet of six-inch PVC water main and paint the existing standpipe, all at a cost of about $146,000.

The district currently has $90,000 at its disposal, and perhaps could get an additional $12,000 from the General Electric Credit Corporation, holders of the district's bond service.

The district voted to direct John Lichtenegger, the Gordonville city attorney, to look into possible financing rates for the city to borrow money for the new project.

The board agrees that a new well should be the district's first priority.

"If the numbers will allow us to, we could be looking at replacing the standpipe about five years down the road," Lorberg said with some optimism.

The water district, which was formed in 1975, serves 211 customers in Gordonville and Dutchtown, and the region in between.

The last rate hike levied on the customers was in September 1989. At almost any cost, the board wants to spare customers of any rate increase over the next few years.

"The users have been very understanding over the last few years of the changes we're going through," Lorberg said. "The rates are as high as they can go.

"The financing is going to make the difference in how far we can go with this," Lorberg said.