Plains to see several water projects in 2016

PLAINS – As the new year opens, the City of Plains is beginning to look forward to new goals and projects to work on in 2016.

Most of what the city is planning so far is fairly small; Mayor Greg Eitelberg said there are no major, expensive projects on the table at this time.

“We don’t have any huge projects as far as one major $400,000 project or anything like that lined up for the coming year,” he said.

However, he is looking forward to a few projects in 2016. He said the city will be working on the galvanized pipe replacement come springtime, replacing some of the older pipes around the city.

A number of the projects the city is looking forward to in the coming year are water related.

The city will also need to take a look at the city’s pool, once things have thawed out in the spring. Eitelberg noted last year there appeared to be a leak somewhere and lots of water seemed to be draining out.

If the leak turns out to be in a pipe with the circulation system, the repair process could be harder to carry out.

“If it’s one of the pipes coming out and around [the pool], we’d have to dig it up to find where the leak is,” Eitelberg said. “That’s going to be interesting to figure that one out.”

The city is also planning to look into the drainage systems for the intersection of McGowan and Farmer. The section of farmer does not drain properly, building a large pool of water during rainstorms or thaws; this leads to issues for drivers, with the possibility of hydroplaning, as well as pedestrians going through the deep pool.

Eitelberg noted one way the city handles the drainage is through dry wells. The issue with these is whether they are big enough for the amount of water they get; dry wells also have a tendency to fill with silt and sediment easily, blocking room for water to fill.

The city is also just about ready to unveil their new website. One of the features along with this is the ability for people to pay bills using a credit or debit card. Eitelberg felt this would be a big help to residents since it would allow them to check their bill online and make payments without needing to go into town; this would be especially helpful for residents living outside of town proper.

“We’re kinda moving into the 21 century,” the mayor said.