A disagreement between the Crocker R-II School District and the Crocker City Council over a city requirement has turned into disagreement over the precise meaning of a city rule that businesses within the city must connect to sewer service when it’s available to them.
Superintendent Jim Bogle presented several proposals that include boring under a road to reach the city sewer lines, buying a $1,500 sewer pump, and buying an upgraded grinder pump.
However, board member Don Mayhew, who is a civil engineer in private practice and the elected Pulaski County Surveyor, said that’s not realistic and would only be the beginning of the costs to the district.
“$1,500 may buy you a pump, but it’s not going to buy you the pump you need for the job,” Mayhew said, claiming the real cost of a good grinder pump with a control system would be $4,000 or more.
“Without the grinder option, you’re looking at a huge maintenance issue, and even with a grinder, you’re going to have to do maintenance every year,” Mayhew said. “You’re going to have solids which will sit in the line at some time which is going to cause maintenance problems at some point.”
Board member Kris York agreed.
“I think it’s just not practical; we should write a letter that we want to be allowed to have a holding tank,” York said.
“That was the original idea, but the city said ‘no,’” said Board President Charles Worstell. “We asked for a septic system, not a holding tank, and they said no to a septic system.”
School board members said there have been misunderstandings between the city council and school district that might be resolvable by a meeting between school board and city council members. Worstell said he had hoped to attend the last city council meeting but couldn’t attend on the date when the meeting was held.
A cheaper solution, according to board member Rob Goodrich, would be paying about $800 for a 1,500-gallon holding tank.
Worstell asked what would keep the tank from floating out of the ground. Mayhew said the ground would have to be totally inundated to make the tank float, and said there are anti-floatation devices that will work.
Board members also said they’re worried the city won’t finish the sidewalks in time.
“The odds of us having the sidewalk by the beginning of school are zero to none,” Mayhew said.
“How are we going to get kids to school if they can’t use the sidewalk?” asked Goodrich.
Bogle said city council members claim the sidewalk will still be completed by the start of school in August and said he’s seen the city plans.
Board member Dawn Kubinski said she hopes that’s right, for the sake of students.
“They need to get that done,” Kubinski said.
In other school facilities matters:
• Board members said softball field drainage is a problem; Mayhew suggested leveling the fields with sand in the low spots that are currently pooling with water to reduce the water retention problems.
• Board members agreed to buying a dishwasher from Fellers Equipment Company, which has a service facility in Springfield, at a cost of $16,415, rather than from an out-of-state company.
• Bogle reported that city workers are planning to upgrade small water lines near the school which may not be large enough to support fire hydrants and the school’s water usage. Kubinski asked why some toilets in the elementary school area don’t have an automatic flushing device; Bogle said the water pressure in the area may not be sufficient to handle multiple toilets all flushing at the same time, and said a water fountain in the area has already had to be shut down.
• Mayhew was the only board member to vote against replacing the playground retaining wall, and Mayhew and Worstell voted in the minority of a 4-2 vote to transfer $60,000, the maximum allowable amount, from the incidental fund to the capital projects fund with a 50-50 earmarking for building needs and transportation needs.