slideshow

With work on Leitchfield’s new water intake winding down, at least one property owner is concerned about the cleanup.

Mark and Susan Webber, who live on Oldpost Road, approached the city’s Utilities Commision Thursday, Oct. 18, about damage to the street in front of their home.

“Our road is a private road,” Mark Webber told commissioners. “All the residents have to pay for the asphalt in front of their houses.”

The road has been damaged in several spots, he said, by gravel trucks and other equipment used in installing the new nine-mile pipeline bringing water from Rough River Lake to the city’s treatment plant.

Clay Pipeline of Manchester and Cleary Construction of Tompkinsville are wrapping up work on the roughly $5 million project, which also includes putting a new raw water intake closer to Rough River Dam.

Clay Pipeline is building the $3.7 million pipeline, while Cleary is building the $1.076 million intake.

Webber said he spoke to some of the workers at different points, asking they make changes — such as hauling less gravel at a time — to minimize the road damage. They would change at times, he said, but then revert to previous practices.

“I don’t have a warm fuzzy right now on whether my street is going to get fixed,” Webber said.

Utilities superintendent Kevin Pharis told the Webbers that crews are still working in the area, and are expected to start installing an outfall line in coming days.

He promised the street would be repaired, and noted that part of the payment to Clay is held in contingency until such issues are addressed.

In other action, the commission approved donating an old truck to the Leitchfield Fire Department, which will likely re-purpose it as a brush truck.

After the meeting, Pharis confirmed that the city is now pumping its water from the new intake.