Waterworks continues main improvement project

With construction already underway on Cherry Street, Creston Waterworks has begun their water distribution system improvements project.

The construction will be performed on a block-by-block basis as construction travels along a specific street. The standard order of construction per block, along with the amount of time each step will take, was described by Creston Waterworks as follows:

- Pavement removal (1-2 days)

- Water main installation (3-5 days)

- Water main connection (1-2 days)

- Water main testing (2-3 days)

- Water service connections (3-5 days)

- Resurfacing (3-5 days)

Ideally, construction in each block should take between 15-30 work days. Different blocks will require different times for construction. Creston Waterworks has released a tentative construction schedule describing when certain blocks will receive construction, included in this article.

Construction blocks could overlap at times. To avoid disruptions, taking a different path to avoid construction on Montgomery, Cherry and Mills streets is recommended. Construction on the three streets, which make up the full Division 2 and 3 and a portion of Division 1, will be completed tentatively before the end of the year.

The rest of Division 1 (including areas of Adams, Division and North streets) and Division 4 (areas of Division and Seneca Street) have no schedule assigned yet, although Creston Waterworks General Manager Steve Guthrie said Division 4 will start sometime after Labor Day.

During a meeting on Tuesday, Creston Waterworks’s board of trustees met to finalize additional details related to the water main improvement project.

Pay applications for completed and stored materials were approved for Division 1-1 of the project (uptown area) and Division 2 (Cherry Street) at $154,0000 and $193,000, respectively.

Two resolutions for the use of two funding sources were also approved. Both funding sources do not include totals for future loan forgiveness. A portion of both revenue sources will receive loan forgiveness, but the full amount is unknown until the end of construction.

The first approves a loan and disbursement agreement for $4.7 million through water revenue bonds. The $4.7 million factors in contributions from Creston Waterworks, which was approved during last month’s special meeting.

The second approves another loan and disbursement agreement for $236,000 from issuing taxable water revenue bonds. The funds come through a deal with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Guthrie described “as close to free money as you’re going to get.”

Creston Waterworks approving a portion of their reserves to the water main improvement project meant converting the utility’s money market account to their operational checking account, closing the account. This was also approved during Tuesday’s meeting.