Nell Holcomb area voters approve water district

Tired of coping with iron-laden well water and the expense of maintaining private wells, voters in the Nell Holcomb area voted Tuesday to establish a water district.

The measure passed 129-96, clearing the way for the rural community north of Cape Girardeau to have a water system in place within two years, supporters say.

In all, more than 30 percent of the registered voters cast ballots.

The water-district vote was the only election in Cape Girardeau County on Tuesday. The paper-ballot votes were counted and the results announced within half an hour after the polls closed Tuesday night at the lone precinct, Nell Holcomb School on Highway 177.

Cape Girardeau County clerk Rodney Miller said he had calls from several voters who wondered why polling places elsewhere in the county were closed. They didn't realize there were no elections in their areas, Miller said.

Passage of the measure was good news to Judy Foeste, who watched over two grandsons in a hallway of the rural elementary school as she waited for the votes to be counted. No one else came to wait for the results.

A short distance down the hall, a janitor quietly pushed a broom as election judges finished their work.

"I think it was pretty much what we expected," said Foeste, who led the effort to establish the water district. "Now the real work starts."

Forming a board

Approval of the ballot measure allows Foeste and others to form a five-member board of directors to run the water district and make decisions on building the water system.

Including Foeste, the board members are Dr. John Holcomb, the Rev. Mark Martin, George W. Huey and Joe Koch. They will serve staggered terms of up to three years. The five were named to serve on the first board in an election petition filed in August.

The board could look at digging a deep well or contracting with another utility to provide water for the district, a region of about 2,500 residents that includes the community of Egypt Mills, Mo. Any well water used in the system would be treated, supporters said.

Foeste hopes the board can obtain a state grant to fund engineering work. Ultimately, the water system would be paid with user fees.

The new district extends from the south entrance of Trail of Tears State Park to the Rolling Hills subdivision along Highway 177 just north of the city of Cape Girardeau. It also runs from the Burlington Northern railroad tracks along the Mississippi River on the east to almost Route Y on the west.

Even with creation of Cape Girardeau County's fourth rural water district, district residents won't have to sign up for the service. They can continue with their own wells.

Roger and Ruth Ann Simon, who voted around noon, are ready for a change.

Like others who live in the area, the Simons rely on a private well for their drinking water. The Simons said the water district could provide better quality water.

Floyd Smith, who lives near Egypt Mills, shares a private well with four other families.

Smith voted for the water district. "I will probably hook onto it and keep the well in reserve," he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123