County plumbing problems persist

By CHARLES W. JOHNSON / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

HOLT

County commissioners are seeking a permanent solution to problems with the plumbing that have plagued the County Administrative Building for years – dating back to when the building housed the William Biles School.

“Down in the basement, the building has got a terrible sewer problem, due to the fact all of the upstairs area drains down into the basement,” said County Executive Kenneth Rogers. “What we’ve got is from the clean-out plug out to the manhole. I think we’ve got pipes collapsed.”

Rogers then provided the committee with a video tape of the sewer lines made earlier in the day. The tapes were made at no cost to the county and, using a camera that could actually be inserted into the pipes to show their condition.

“What was recommended was that we replace the pipes out to the manhole, and run from the manhole down to the back of the building,” Rogers continued. “That would carry it on out over to Spring Street instead of pumping it up to North Chancery. By taking it over to Spring Street, we’ve got a natural fall in the ground level where if we go up to North Chancery it’s going to be uphill.”

Rogers also noted there would not be as much asphalt to pull up by going out to Spring Street.

Commissioner Wayne Pryor pointed out the problem has existed for some time. “I know we’ve had the problem seemingly ever since the remodeling, or even before then, when it was a school,” Pryor said.

Morris Holt of Morris Holt Plumbing and Electric gave the committee a general estimate of what the project might cost, indicating a range of $40,000 to $50,000. At Rogers’ request, the committee then voted to draft a resolution to ask for no more than $60,000 for the work needed to be presented at the next commission meeting later in the month.