News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Gainesboro Aldermen decided to pivot and try to find a cheaper option to replace a generator fuel tank for the wastewater plant’s main lift station during Thursday night’s Aldermen meeting.
Gainesboro Water Distribution Supervisor John Pigg said once the tank was drained of diesel, big clumps of rust were found inside the tank and that the tank could not be repaired. Pigg said Wastewater Supervisor Chad Scott had conversations with the state to see if there is a cheaper option than simply buying a new tank.
“I know he had talked to somebody from the state and they said we could use an on-site doubled-walled tank that wasn’t part of the generator that the state would accept that,” Pigg said. “I think he has been working on some prices and the specs and everything on that.”
Pigg said a new generator tank would cost around $25,000 and that an auxiliary tank would be significantly cheaper at an estimated cost of $5,000. After a discussion between the aldermen they voted to take bids on an auxiliary tank and that Mayor Lloyd Williams could approve the purchase without the board’s approval if the bid comes in under $6,000.
The board also approved taking bids for the main lift station’s rake. Scott said the rake is a metal fence that collects toilet paper and trash out of the wastewater and puts it in a dumpster. Scott said the rake has not been replaced since 2001.
“It’s just so old and now it’s getting so rusty and right now we can’t fix this,” Scott said. “It’s getting to a point where we tried to weld it and it just burns through cause the metal is so rusty.”
Scott said the rake is not in such bad condition that toilet paper is getting through the rake but it does need to be replaced.
“We welded it for now,” Scott said. “It’s alright for now but like I say it’s getting to a point where we are gonna have to put in another one.”
In other business, the aldermen approved applying for the 2025 Project Diabetes Grant. The grant is $150,000 each year for three years and requires no match from the city.
