Sparta Replacing Sewer Lines On Two Streets Before Repaving Begins

Sparta’s North Church and Quill E. Cope Streets are set for sewer line replacements, before they are repaved.

The Sparta Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved soliciting bids for this work Thursday night. Sparta Public Works Director Dillard Quick said this project will be beyond what his own department is capable of doing at this time.

“We just don’t have the pipe bursting ability to do it and I don’t have the manpower on the sewer side either,” Quick said. “Because we’re slammed with everything we’ve got going on right now. So it’s something that we’ll have to bid out. If it was just a point repair or something, we could fix it but we can’t do that and check the pump stations and everything that’s going on.”

Quick said a cost analysis was not done to estimate an exact project price but funds are included in next year’s budget. Quick said work could begin in two and a half months, citing supply issues as the hold up in beginning sewer work.

Quick said that regardless of when work begins, sewer replacement had to happen first.

“The worst thing that we could do is go out here and pave a street and then have to come back and cut the brand new street,” Quick said. “Then the tax payers are looking at us like, ‘you just paved that street, why are you cutting it?’ So if we don’t repair these lines underneath the pavement then we’re going backwards.”

Quick said that the public works department will be able to do the water line work under the two streets, in-house. Quick said this will be over half a mile of road where sewer lines will be replaced.

Also Thursday, the board approved the final 2021-2022 fiscal year budget. Sparta’s $5.6 million dollar budget includes an increase of roughly $200,000 more than last year.

Sparta’s Certified Tax Rate will remain the same as last year, at $0.9183. The budget includes a three percent step raise for all city employees, along with $800,000 in capital projects addressing paving and sidewalks.

Sparta is anticipating a $30,000 increase in tax revenues.