MINERAL SPRINGS – A flurry of municipal work in the city of Mineral Springs came during the month of June, and more is likely throughout the summer, say city officials.
According to Mayor Bobby Tullis, the last month saw major work on the city’s sewers and streets.
A sewage line break in the southern portion of the city reported at the last city council meeting was repaired about a week later, Tullis said, explaining that the delay was because there was no road near the area of the line break. After building the road to the site, the repair went quickly, he stated.
Tullis also spoke about the city very quietly undertaking a project to completely replace the system of sewage lines in the city. “We’re going to do it without borrowing any money, or raising rates. It will take us a while, replacing a bit at a time,” he said.
The city has already mapped the entire sewage system with cameras to identify which sections should receive priority, he explained, saying that deteriorating concrete pipes would be replaced with PVC lines. Tullis claimed that the city would be able to do most of the work themselves, though some portions would have to be contracted out. Tullis estimated that the replacement of sewage lines would take multiple years.
Above ground, the city’s streets and the work being done on them are more visible. Tullis said that the asphalt overlay program, initiated under the previous mayor, Walter “Sonny” Heatherly, had been completed last week, with Powell, McCrary and Browning Streets each being resurfaced for their entire lengths. Tullis indicated that the city would be looking to engage in the same program again, though it may take some time for the applications to be filed and approved.
In the meanwhile, work continues on replacing the bridge on Crawford Street which was destroyed in the storms that hit the area in May. Tullis reported that the gas line running under the old bridge had been moved, and that the required permit from the Army Corp of Engineers has been obtained. Bids for the construction of a replacement bridge are set to be opened at next Tuesday’s city council meeting, Tullis said, explaining that he hopes work can begin immediately after as the concrete that would be used in building the bridge would have a long cure time, and he would hope to have the new bridge open to traffic by the end of August.
