The Culver Town Council has approved some updates to the town’s water rate ordinance. While town officials emphasize that rates will not be going up as part of the change, various fees will be increased.
Those include a tap charge of at least $900 for customers connecting to the water system and at least $225 for a new water meter. The changes are designed to better cover the town’s costs.
Also during last week’s meeting, the town council made a few decisions regarding upgrades to the town’s water treatment facility. The new water treatment plant was originally scheduled to be finished back in July, but has been delayed numerous times.
Council members approved a payment of over $10,000 to project manager Michiana Contracting for work completed as part of the project. But Town Attorney Jim Clevenger says Culver may seek some reductions in its additional payments, due to the delays. “Our contract calls for: if they’re late in substantial completion, it’s $1,000 a day,” he explained.
Michiana Contracting blames other companies for at least some of the delays, but Clevenger says he isn’t satisfied with the explanations he’s heard so far. “My recommendation is I follow up with a letter, putting the onus on them,” he said, “to say ‘Look, at this point, we think you’re behind. Our contract has you paying damages for the fact that you didn’t have this done when it was supposed to be substantially completed, and that’s our inclination. You need to prove to us that we’re wrong,’ and see if we can’t get that by the next meeting.”
Meanwhile, the council also voted to have the facility’s concrete floors painted by Concrete Coatings in Spokane as part of the project. Culver Clerk-Treasurer Karen Heim says the painting will take the place of sealing work for 2,400 square feet of concrete floor. “It’s several different sections of concrete, old and new,” she explained. “They have to grind it down, clean it up, wash the floor and prep to finish, apply base coat epoxy, apply color base, and then apply clear urethane topcoat.”
The town council selected Concrete Creations to do the work. Heim says it will cost the town nearly $6,600, beyond what it would have cost to simply seal the floor.
