Water board looks at North Maple blocks

With planned development along North Maple Street, Creston Water Board approved plans for infrastructure improvements during their meeting Tuesday.

The water board approved $100,000 in local, matching funds to replace three blocks of water main on North Maple, between Adams and Howard streets. The $100,000 is contingent upon securing a $400,000 block grant. Creston Water Works General Manager Steve Guthrie said the water main in that area was originally installed in 1890.

“It’s an old line,” he said after the meeting. “It needs to be replaced as a group is developing the area. With the city applying for a grant, that gives us a chance to replace it. The grant asks for a 20% match.”

Earlier this year, a development agreement between Creston and Maple Street Apartments was finalized. Addam Wall of RANT, LLC, developers of Maple Street Apartments, created a non-profit as a means to help facilitate redevelopment. Wall is a 2001 graduate of Creston High School. Rant owns properties at 110 and 112 N. Maple St. and plans to have retail and apartment space under the name Agnew Lofts. Those buildings are the former Van Gelder clothing store and Agnew buildings. RANT also owns property at 124 N Maple.

Guthrie said it’s common for water mains in Uptown Creston to be more than 100 years old. If approved, he expects the work to take up to three months and include increasing the water main to 6 inches from 4.

The water board approved bid letting on Dec. 9 and a public hearing during the board’s regularly scheduled meeting Dec. 14 for the Twelve Mile intake project. The project is estimated at $2 million and is being done to replace infrastructure installed in the 1980s and to allow for a greater range of operating capacity.

“This has been in the works for a while,” Guthrie said about the project. Plans are to replace all electrical, building upgrades so the operation can work more efficiently.

“It goes back to 1986 and nothing has really be done since,” Guthrie said.