The North Judson Town Council wants to explore its options before choosing a contractor for well rehabilitation work. Town Superintendent Joe Leszek told council members last week that Peerless Midwest has offered to make needed upgrades to Well 1 for a total cost of over $15,000.
“And the reason that their quote’s a little higher than originally thought is some of the parts that they were hoping would be a simple changeover or maybe just a cleaning, they are going to have to do a complete rebuild,” Leszek explained.
But council members generally felt it would be worth getting another quote. Council President John Rowe noted that North Judson had an issue with Peerless in the past, referring to an incident in which the company tried to get an early start on a well project without notifying town officials.
Rowe also questioned whether the need for significant upgrades at Well 1 was something that town officials should have known about ahead of time. But it was pointed out that while they’ve been aware of it, the town had more pressing water infrastructure needs, such as a backup generator and a separate, isolated well.
Going forward, Leszek explained that he already has a plan in place, to avoid a similar situation with Well 2. “So this isn’t something that we’re going to keep passing the buck down the road and keep our fingers crossed and wait for something to blow up and then repair it,” he said. “We’re going to be up-front and be out in front of this and get it worked into the budget, get it taken care of next year.”
He said Well 2 is in much better shape than Well 1, and it’s currently still functioning.
