Drainage and sewage in the 6th Avenue area were the topics of discussion at the Tuesday meeting of the Brundidge City Council.
Recent heavy rains and possible infiltration into the city’s sewage system in that area of the city were the probable causes of sewage spillage on the property of several owners including City Council Member Betty Baxter.
Baxter said the sewage that spilled onto her property had such a stench that she could hardly stay in the house.
“I covered the vents, and I could still smell the odor,” she said. “Now that the sewage has dried in some, the odor is not as strong but it’s there.”
Britt Thomas, city manager, said the problem probably was caused by a leak somewhere in the sewer line that allowed the rainwater to get into the line.
“We had 6.5 inches of rain from Sunday to Monday morning of that week and the lines just couldn’t handle all the excess water and the raw sewage bubbled out,” Thomas said. “We’re going to have the lines smoked tested to see if there are weaknesses in the lines.”
Thomas said the grounds in the affected area have been deodorized and tested.
“We’ll go from there,” he said.
Thomas said the City’s Drinking Water Project is nearing completion. All new water meters have been installed and the communication system will be installed and tested next week.
The installation and testing will be done by communication system specialists from New Rochelle, N. Y. April 21-23. Once testing is completed, the digital water meter reading system will be in service.
The total cost of the Drinking Water Project, including new water meters throughout the city and the communication system, is $975,000 less $54,000 in grant funding. The project cost will be paid over a 20-year period.
In conjunction with the Drinking Water Project, the City elected to also install a digital meter reading system for the electric department at a cost of $160,000.
The council considered a line credit for the $160,000 cost of the electric meters. Two bids were submitted. First National Bank’s bid was at a 1.6 percent interest rate. The Troy Bank & Trust bid was 2.5 percent. The Council voted to accept the lower bid from FNB.
Prior to the council’s regular meeting, the council conducted a public hearing on a request by Cretia Harris and Haisten Harris to rezone property at 414 Seventh Ave. from R-3 to Mobile Home Residential.
At its regular meeting, the Council approved the rezoning request.
The Brundidge City Council will not meet on May 6. Council members will be attending the League of Municipalities annual meeting in Mobile. The Council’s next meeting will be at 4 p.m. May 20 at Brundidge City Hall.