Russellville council holds hearing on new water tower

RUSSELLVILLE — Though its initial application was not accepted by the state, town leaders in Russellville are looking forward to getting its water tower project running.

The council held a required public hearing on the project during its regular meeting Wednesday evening. Brian Bullock of Beam, Longest and Neff gave a rundown for replacing Russellville’s current water tower, though the details were more about funding.

The town is looking to replace the current water tower with a new 50,000-gallon one next to its water treatment plant. Part of the project would include installing new mains into the existing system, as well as new valves so that leaks can be isolated.

Russellville is pursuing a $700,000 grant through OCRA’s Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). The project overall has been projected to cost $1.32 million, meaning the town would have to cover $620,000.

The town is set to get $70,000 through the recently-passed American Rescue Plan Act. This money can be used to address issues with water. However, Bullock said OCRA had indicated that Russellville might not be awarded the full $700,000 grant if this money is used for the project.

Town Attorney Stu Weliever stipulated that though specifics about how the money may be used have not been outlined, the town has to pass an ordinance establishing a fund to hold the American Rescue Plan money.

Russellville is participating in Round 1 of the CDBG grant cycles. The proposal for the project is due Thursday, April 29, with final applications needing to be submitted to OCRA by Friday, June 25.

In other business:

• It was agreed between the council and Troy Elless of UMAC that the town would flush hydrants on Thursday, May 6.

• The council approved a contract with Larry Tippin as the town’s internal control auditor. Clerk-Treasurer Martha Mandleco said the difference from previous work Tippin has done is that his hourly rate would be $75 instead of $50.

Weliever and Mandleco joined council members Norma Jean Gross, Cathy Jones and Cary McGaughey for the meeting. Town Marshal Matt Biggs was not in attendance.

The next regular meeting of the Russellville Town Council is scheduled for Wednesday, May 19 at 7 p.m. at the Russellville Community Center.