Engineer estimates tower and pipe project at $2.2 million
By: Cara Latham
ROOSEVELT The borough’s engineer has recommended replacing the water tower and cleaning and relining the town’s water pipes at a cost of about $2.2 million.
But the borough might only replace the tower and hold off, for now, on the pipe work, according to Councilman Bob Silverstein, who serves as the council’s Utilities Committee chairman. That would lower the cost to $825,000 to $900,000, based on the engineer’s report.
And local officials are hoping to receive a state Department of Environmental Protection loan for the tower and to consolidate an existing loan at a lower interest rate to cover the cost, Mr. Silverstein added.
Refinancing the loan at a 2 percent rate could "be of significant savings to the borough," said Mr. Silverstein. "We might not have to raise rates."
Engineer Carmela Roberts reported in a February letter to Mayor Beth Battel and the Borough Council that a recent inspection of the interior and exterior of the water tower rated the 85,000-gallon tank, which is about 65 years old, as "poor." In addition, she wrote, the borough’s average daily demand is 110,000 gallons, and the borough should have a 200,000-gallon capacity.
Mr. Silverstein said this week that the poor rating means the tank is not functioning the way it should.
"The inside has a lot of rust, and once the protective coating comes off, it could spring a leak," he said.
Further, Ms. Roberts wrote, the water tower is only expected to last another 15 to 20 years if repaired.
The basic work of sandblasting and repainting could cost the borough about $300,000, she said in the letter. But, "any repairs that may be necessary to the tank would be an additional cost," she wrote.
And if the borough were to take the steps to repair the water tower, "I cannot guarantee an adequate water supply even with a temporary tank at the site and modifications to the well controls and system piping. The cost for this work could reach another $150,000 to $200,000, so that total repair costs for the tank could approach $500,000."
Replacing the water tower, she wrote, will cost $690,000.
None of the estimates, either for the tank or the pipes, include the costs for permitting, administration of grants, and engineering, which she estimated at 20 to 30 percent more.
Ms. Roberts also suggested the borough clean and line the water mains with cement.
"The indicators of a problem within the piping distribution system are the brown water complaints (received from residents over recent years)," she said.
When treated water leaves the water plant, the iron levels in the water are well within DEP standards, but she wrote, "It is typical in water system piping for an accumulation of iron and other impurities to form on the inside of the water pipe."
The cost to clean and re-line the borough’s 8-inch water mains is estimated at $550,000, while it would cost an additional $750,000 to clean and re-line the 6-inch water mains, she said.
Mr. Silverstein said the Utilities Committee recently made the recommendation to the Borough Council that it only replace the water tower, but the financial committee is still weighing the two options. He said he hopes the latter committee will make a recommendation by Monday’s Borough Council meeting.
Replacing the water tower also adds other benefits over repairing it, he said.
"If we repaired it, we would have to set up a temporary water system," Mr. Silverstein said. Instead, "they would build the new tower right near where the old one is. There would only be a few hours when they switched the pipes over (disrupting water service)," he added.
The Borough Council has authorized Ms. Roberts to begin the paperwork to see if it can get a loan from the state DEP with a rate of 2 percent interest for the $690,000 water tower, Mr. Silverstein said. At the same time, the borough could possibly refinance a $2.3 million loan it took out in 1991, when it had to replace its sewer plant, and consolidate the two into one loan. The interest rate on that 40-year loan stands at more than 6 percent, Mr. Silverstein said.
Paperwork on the loan could take a few months and entail meetings with the DEP, so "I’m sure we’re talking three to six months before you’re proceeding ahead," Mr. Silverstein said. "Then it takes two to three weeks for them to build (the water tower) on the site."
Mr. Silverstein said that while the borough will likely hold off on the pipe work, it will need to be done in the future.

