Scott County commission OKs temporary well for Kelly School District

BENTON, Mo. -- Scott County has approved the engineering services and project administrators for construction of an emergency, temporary potable water well to serve the Kelly School District.

Elizabeth Long, a civil engineer with Strickland Engineering in Jackson, and Mitzi Dell, a grant writer and administrator with Dell Consulting in Campbell, Mo., will work on the project.

"Since 2007 we have been working with the school on their water issues and trying to help them continue to supply clean water," Long said.

"The school seems to be very satisfied with [the firms], so I see no reason not to approve this," Presiding Commissioner Jamie Burger said. He said Dell has also worked with Kelly Schools in the past.

He and commissioners Donnie Keifer and Dennis Ziegenhorn all approved the firms' involvement.

Because of the grant the school is receiving, the county commission must sign off on it. However, the commission is not responsible for the project's execution.

In February, the school's potable well failed. It is now back in service but at a reduced capacity and there is still potential for a total failure. Although the school plans to connect with the public water supply system when it is completed in 2010, there is a need for an emergency, temporary water well.

In other business Thursday, Joel Evans, county developer and emergency services director, followed up with commissioners on technology equipment that was stolen from his vehicle early Wednesday morning.

A laptop and projector, totaling about $5,00 in value, were taken from Evans' vehicle around 4 a.m. Wednesday. He said the vehicle was locked Tuesday evening, but unlocked and smelled of smoke when he got in it the next morning.

The equipment, which Evans had used in a CERT training earlier in the day, was in his vehicle in a black luggage bag with wheels.

The Sikeston Department of Public Safety is investigating the theft. Evans said there was a "very minimal" loss of information.

"All the files on my laptop are redundant to what is on the [computer] tower in my office," he said. "And there was no classified information."