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This update comes from Don Hunley, Project Manager for Michael Baker Engineering International:
The Winter of 2014 is upon us and the coldest extended weather in 20 years plus leaks in some of the new lines are causing more delays. The City is contemplating delaying some work until Spring. Cooper Construction will clean up everything possible but final completion of everything may wait for April. Sorry for the bad news. As long as we continue to have nights below freezing, working with disturbed soils can be almost fruitless.
Sunday is Groundhog Day! We will hope for one of our beautiful early springs this year.
All of the new waterlines are installed but some critical steps remain. The most visible part of the work is the new waterline and meter box installation, but nothing is more important than final water quality for your family to bathe in, cook and drink. The remaining critical steps involve testing, final switchovers, abandoning the old waterlines and removing the old fire hydrants.
So, testing will continue throughout the untested parts of the neighborhood, immediately followed by meter switchover. The project progress feels slow because we have to work down each street six different times before final clean-up:
- New waterline installation,
- Boring under the road to homes on other side of the street from the new waterline,
- New service line and new meter box installation (both sides of street),
- Bacteriological and leak testing,
- Connecting meter boxes to new lines,
- Abandoning old waterlines and removing fire hydrants and old meter boxes.
The good news is that the first three long steps are complete, and Steps 4 and 5 are complete south and east of the library. New fire hydrants are active over 60% of the neighborhood. Residents of Triple J and Woodland plus Scenic View opposite Owen Middle School have fire hydrants for the first time.
Thank you for your extended patience for this important project to restore excellent fire protection to Grovemont and establish a new water system for the 21st Century for Mr. Grove’s neighborhood!
A separate company, Buckeye Construction, is replacing the old sewers beside Old 70 for MSD (Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County). The City of Asheville is not involved in the installation of new sanitary sewers beside Old 70 from the laundry at Grovemont Ave to Womble Lane past Eastwood, but I will be glad to forward any questions or concerns regarding it. MSD has other sewer replacement scheduled within Grovemont over the coming years.
Stay tuned for additional updates here and on the website www.swannanoawaterlinereplacement.com, and again, thank you for your extended patience and cooperation with the waterline replacement personnel.
Don Hunley
Project Manager for Michael Baker Engineering International
828-450-3078