March 18, 2024 |
Photo – Map of area of water break – Courtesy Town of Hanna
In the Town of Hanna, officials are scrambling to find money to pay for costly water line repairs.
Last Wednesday, March 13th, Union Pacific train crews notified the town of Hanna that water was flowing from the ground by the railroad tracks. Hanna public works employees examined the area and found a break in the 12-inch water main that runs beneath Main Street.
The town shut off water to the broken line. A smaller 10-inch pipe is supplying residents with enough water to avoid an interruption in service.
The following evening, Thursday, March 14th, the Hanna town council held a special meeting to discuss a resolution to declare a state of emergency. The resolution allows the town to skip the lengthy state mandated bidding process for all projects over $75,000 and apply for emergency funding through the State Lands and Investments Board.
SLIB administers Mineral Royalty Grants, which are used to address immediate threats to public health, safety, or welfare.
At last Thursday’s special meeting, Councilman Sam Sikes asked if the town was experiencing a state of emergency. Councilman Sikes expressed concern that crying wolf will make Hanna ineligible for future Mineral Royalty Grants, also known as MRGs.
The break is situated at the south end of Main Street, across the train tracks. The council said the location of the water main break makes it unlikely that property will be damaged or lives endangered.
Town Treasurer Ann Calvert said declaring a state of emergency is required to bypass the state’s required bidding process and have repairs completed as quickly as possible.
Public Works Director Larry Korkow said the town is not in danger of running out of water with the 12-inch line being out of service. Korkow said residents are receiving plenty of water through the smaller pipe.
Public Works Director Korkow said he won’t know what condition the pipe is in until he physically sees it. The public works director said he must wait until Union Pacific allows him to dig near the tracks.
Korkow said the 10-inch pipe is supplying the town with enough water for the time being. However, the larger line must be repaired before summer when irrigation and lawn watering will stress the town’s water supply.
Korkow said the water treatment plant will need to be run more often to keep up with demand until the 12-inch pipe is repaired. The public works director reiterated that the town is not in danger of running out of water.
Korkow said he won’t know the condition of the pipe, or the protective steel casing, until Union Pacific gives him permission to dig. The town is required to pay the railroad company approximately $15,000 for a permit to excavate near the tracks. A portion of the Mineral Royalty Grant will be used to reimburse the town for the cost of the permit.
Treasurer Calvert said Craig Kopasz from Engineering Associates has calculated a price based on the worst outcome to submit to the State Lands and Investments Board. Calvert said the MRG is the only source of funding the town can rely on to pay for the costly project.
Public Works Director Korkow said replacing the nearly 50-year-old pipe and casing could realistically cost anywhere between $750,000 and $1.5 million. The MRG grant requires a 50% match from the town.
Treasurer Calvert said the town can exhaust its savings to pay for the grant match. Alternatively, Calvert said they could apply for an American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA grant. Councilman Hawks said the town may need to close the financially struggling Hanna Recreation Center to cover the MRG grant match. Mayor Jon Ostling said Carbon County Emergency Manager Lenny Layman has offered to investigate if FEMA can assist with funding.
Treasurer Calvert said the $15,000 for the Union Pacific excavation permit can be taken out of the town’s water enterprise fund. The grant match, however, will most likely need to come from the town’s savings account. Councilman Hawks and Dys said a $750,000 grant match will exhaust the town’s entire emergency reserve fund.
The council agreed that the job will be costly. All supplies needed to complete the job must be purchased and on-site before construction can begin to avoid unnecessarily disrupting Union Pacific train traffic. Councilman Hawks said the pipe itself is likely to cost almost a million dollars.
Councilman Hawks said the quarter million dollars spent every year on the town’s recreation center would be better used on important infrastructure projects, such as this water main break. The councilman said closing the rec center is inevitable.
The Hanna town council voted to declare a state of emergency for the water main break. As of the writing of this story, the public works department is still waiting for permission from Union Pacific to dig up the pipe.
The fate of the Hanna Recreation Center will be discussed during the next regular town council meeting on April 9th.
