Gainesboro Approves Elk Mountain Pump House Repairs

Gainesboro Board of Aldermen approved upgrades to the Elk Mountain Pump House at its Thursday night meeting.

Mayor Lloyd Williams said the city received two quotes. He said the approved low bid came in at some $14,000.

“We have some residents that live up on a hill pretty steep and there’s a pump house halfway through it,” Williams said. “And the pump house went bad on us and there’s no repairing it, we’ve been patching it together for about 10 years. So it’s time to fix it. We have to keep their water pressure to about 20 pounds, so that’s what we’re going to go do.”

Williams said the city could be in violation of codes if the pump house is not fixed. He said this has been discussed in several meetings, and action needs to be taken.

Alderman Ricky Head said the city should explore adding a component that states after a certain amount of time, the pump house will no longer be the city’s responsibility. He also suggested those residents utilizing the pump house get annexed into town limits. Williams said some residents have already expressed interest.

“That is just my input,” Head said. “I mean if they want to be annexed that’s great, we just won’t get that money back on paying the water. That’s the only thing. If we’re going to fix the pump, I would like to see them annexed into the city.”