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Record The Putnam County
Volume 145 No. 46
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Putnam County’s Only Newspaper
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Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Drowning in water issues Water problems continue to plague Granville By Ken Schroeder kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
GRANVILLE – The village of Granville received more bad news about the water system during its regular board meeting July 16. This time, it’s not the sewer lines but the water pumps that are causing the problem.
“As some of you may know, pump No. 3 recently failed catastrophically, three times,” said Christopher Peschang, business development manager for Layne Water Resources. “The motor’s in bad shape. It’s over its service life and needs to be either rebuilt or replaced.”
The news couldn’t come at a worse time with construction on Dollar General’s water and sewer line nearing completion and the village water tower scheduled to be drained and examined to meet safety standards. “We put the tower off until this year,” said Sheli Starkey, public
works superintendent. “It’s been in the works for a while. We can’t change it.” In addition, the bowl assembly for Pump 3 is pitted and dangerously corroded, and Peschang said that should be replaced as well. The cost for the replacement parts for the pump total around $105,000. An extra $8,000 in labor would
also be tacked on. He also advised against rebuilding the equipment. “You could save maybe $10,000 if you rebuild it, but your water is corrosive,” Peschang said. “It wouldn’t last for five years.” Peschang also said the village could purchase a cheaper system, but board member Lou Verda rejected that idea.
“We got the top of the line when we bought these. Going cheaper just doesn’t make sense,” Verda said. The problem is compounded by the pump itself. The particular model is no longer manufactured after the Environmental Protection Agency deemed it unsafe.
See Problems Page 2
Hennepin reviews property issues By Ken Schroeder kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
HENNEPIN – Property issues were the topic of the day at the Hennepin Village Board meeting on July 17. Problems from property lines to drainage problems were brought before the trustees. Resident Matt Leitch is in a dispute with neighbor Lester Smith regarding the placement of a fence on Smith’s property that intrudes a foot onto Leitch’s property. The fence was in place before either resident moved into their homes. Leitch told the board he has made several attempts to resolve the matter, including selling the property affected to Smith for one dollar plus court costs, but has been rebuffed at each attempt. Village zoning officer Larry Brown informed the board he had also spoken to Smith concerning the issue; and while Smith told Brown the fence would be moved, he refused to say when. The only date Smith has reportedly given Brown and Leitch is December 2014. Although the fence is in violation of zoning laws and no permit can be found for the building of the fence, village lawyer Roger Bolin advised the village he felt this was beyond the scope of the board. “This is a private dispute between two property owners,” Bolin Vol. 145 No. 46 One Section - 12 Pages The Putnam County
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said. “We should not get involved.” Village engineer Bill Shafer told the board Louis Casey of South Third Street has asked the village to construct a gutter and grate near his residence to drain off water that flows down the hill. Casey’s driveway was recently paved and sealed, and water now runs toward the house from the street. The driveway was not canted to allow runoff to flow down the rest of the hill and has a slight pitch toward the house, an observation that board member Quentin Buffington was not happy with. “They’re asking us to fix a problem that was caused by someone putting in a driveway that didn’t take any consideration that water flows downhill,” Buffington said. Action on the matter was tabled until details could be discussed between the village and the Caseys. Brown also discussed property owned by Henry Drummond. The property has fallen into disrepair since Drummond’s move to Tennessee. Drummond’s neighbor, Quincy Buffington, told the board he has made offers to buy the property. He told the board Drummond had agreed to the sale and then backed out numerous times.
See Hennepin Page 2
Putnam County Record photo/Dixie Schroeder
Chris Bruch (left) looks over the jaws while Damon Burris reviews the cutter during a Granville Fire Department practice session.
New equipment for Granville Fire Dept. By Dixie Schroeder dschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
GRANVILLE – The Granville Fire Department has made some additions to their rescue equipment. “When we got the last truck two years ago, the truck came with the Jaws of Life and the cutter,” chief Ron Campbell said. “Since then we have done a fundraiser in which we had offered a family picture to people. With the proceeds from that fundraiser, we purchased air bags for lifting cars and jacks for stabilizing vehicles during a rescue. We purchased ropes and accessories for rope rescue.”
The cost of this equipment and training cost the Granville Fire Department about $50,000. The addition of these tools was helpful almost immediately. “It was kind of strange,” said Campbell. “We used the cutters and the jaws two weeks after we got them. We used the air bags in a car accident where a lady had run over the gas meter. That was also about two weeks after we got them.” Currently in the all-volunteer Granville Fire Department, the daytime manpower is in short supply. The department has to rely on Hennepin and Standard at the moment when they receive
Inside Images from the Marshall-Putnam 4-H Fair See Pages 2,8
Finding your roots See Page 6
calls during the day, just as those departments rely on Granville. “High angle rope rescues, confined space rescues, car extractions all require a lot of manpower,” said Campbell. “Between the three of us, we can come up with it during daytime hours. That’s the benefit of being a small town and being close to each other. We work closely with each other.” The department meets on Mondays. Once a month they have a business meeting. The rest of the month they train. The training varies with the seasons.
See Equipment Page 2