by Matt Hughes
J-E News Editor
The Clay City Council was in session on Monday night. Among other items on the agenda was a discussion of the Caney Creek gas line that has now been a topic for two months.
The line, which feeds Clay, Wheatcroft and Sturgis connects to the main at a substation south of Providence. From there it runs around the edge of Providence, feeding some gas customers on Leeper Lane, the Green Grove subdivision and Diamond and then on to the city of Clay. After Clay the line runs to Wheatcroft and then to Sturgis.
In August city employee Paul Stone showed the council pictures of where the exposed gas main crosses Caney Creek. It exits a concrete pad on one side of the creek, before going back into the dirt bank on the other side. Not only is the entire length of the line exposed to flood water and debris, Stone pointed out that concrete is very corrosive to the materials in a gas line.
As there is currently no disconnect for the line, a gas leak at that location would require the line to be shut at the substation in Providence. That would cut off gas to all of the customers in Sturgis, Wheatcroft, Clay and the edges of Providence.
Stone told the council that there were really only three options; installing a shut off valve on the Clay side of Caney Creek, which would cost about $9,500; removing the line and running it entirely under the creek bed, which would run around $50,000; or building an elevated platform to raise the line out of range of the flood water (no estimate on that job has been presented). If the city goes with the second or third option, a shut off valve will be included.
For safety reasons the council indicated that they would rather replace the line than just install the shut off valve.
“It’s going to be expensive either way,” said Mayor Rick Householder. “I’m not for going over the creek. I think once we put it underground, we are done with it. If we go over, the line will still be outside, and we’ll have to do a lot of maintenance.”
On behalf of the council, Stone contacted an engineering firm. The told him it would cost around $5,000 just to survey the job and come up with a plan to run the line underground. Engineering the above ground platform would cost just as much, if not more.
The one good thing about the line is that the city of Clay shares the responsibility of the line with the city of Sturgis. The two cities will share the cost of any construction that is required.
Briefly the council addressed a proposed business license the group has been discussing since May. Members have not been able to arrange a work session to help develop the ordinance, so the topic was tabled for another month.
The council is looking at different municipal insurance for 2014. For the passed several years Clay has had it’s insurance through Travelers, but the same coverage they have now is expected to cost an additional $5,000 next year.
“There are very few places that insure municipalities,” Mayor Householder reported. He then told the council that after speaking with the city’s agent at Rudd Insurance, they had found another plan similar to the one they currently have.
According to Householder, United World Assurance offers the same coverage with a few increases for only $28,600, just over $4,000 cheaper than the $33,000 they paid this year.
“Hanson and White Plains both have this insurance and they seem pretty happy with it,” he said.
“It’s actually better insurance when you compare it,” councilman Todd Vanover said.
The council agreed that they should purchase the United World Assurance plan for next year.
In other business, Householder reported that the city had received numerous complaints from the resident of what he called “the old Legate Flower Shop” about flooding.
“We’ve cleaned out every ditch through that area,” he said. “We had a four inch rain not too long ago and it was fine. We had six inches of rain Saturday (October 5, 2013) and her house flooded.”
Paul Stone said that the property sets lower than the sidewalk. The house itself sits on a concrete pad.
“If it was one block high it wouldn’t be a problem,” he said.
“It’s been that way for 75 years,” said Vanover. “We’ve cleaned out the ditches. I don’t know what else we can do.”
“We just had a lot of rain that day,” added council member Paul Cowan.
Council member Patti Dennis suggested the city contact Mike Andrews at the Water Conservation District.
“Maybe he can tell us something that we could do,” she said.
The next scheduled Clay Council meeting is Monday November 12, 2013.
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