Florence works toward sewer system solution
Staff writer
A sewer line in need of repair in Florence is proving problematic, though it has been taken care of temporarily by turning the line off, city superintendent Terry Britton said.
The line, running from Grandview Circle Dr., has a few spots where it is seeping up to the surface, including near 3rd and Doyle Sts., Britton said.
“Everyone thinks that’s a spring running there,” he said. “That wasn’t a spring. That was the sewer coming through.”
The city can add a sleeve to the damaged one or replace it completely, Britton said at Monday’s council meeting.
Sleeving the pipe can be done multiple ways, including inserting an expandable pipe or by using an epoxy spray, which councilman Matt Williams suggested might be the best option.
Britton was able to shut off the pipe needing repair while still directing the sewer line where it needed to flow.
Solving the problem soon is important so city crews don’t have to fix it during winter, councilman Mary Shipman said.
“If we let the ground freeze good and hard, it’s going to be hard to work on,” she said.
Florence’s sewer account also is in need of some relief, sitting with $1,400 to $1,500 into the red. City clerk Dana Gayle requested being allowed to transfer money from the city’s sewer reserve to hold over until 2020.
Waiting until there is a clearer idea of how Florence’s other end-of-year finances would be helpful as well, mayor Bill Harris said, which councilmen agreed with.
Location changes
After having Florence city council meetings in the city’s gymnasium the past several months, the council decided to move them to the former home economics building on W. Seventh St.
Community member Judy Mills suggested the change because the home ec building has a furnace.
Council members agreed that the gymnasium would be much more difficult to heat in cold weather and approved the move as long as the home ec building was determined to have adequate space for social distancing.