Village of Tamaroa will use grant to purchase new meter reading equipment

The Tamaroa Board of Trustees agreed that purchasing meter reading equipment was more important than using some a $60,000 grant for wish-list items such as a sewer camera, water line detector or a new hoist.

The bulk of the grant will be spent on a new pump station at the lagoon and a new grinder on Locust Street. Those two projects are expected to cost $41,600 and $9,350, respectively.

Mike Smith of Southern Engineering said the permit for the lagoon pump station had to be renewed. Once that was complete, the project could begin.

Smith said the meter reading equipment could be purchased at any time.

• agreed that the cost of installing a water line on Shagbark Road for three potential customers is too high. Smith of Southern Engineering said the cost of materials for the project is estimated at $8,500 to $9,000. Permits cost $2,000. Hiring a contractor to install the lines brings the estimate for the project to $25,000. The board asked Smith to contact the potential customers and explain the costs. The board agreed that the village would waive the connection fee if the potential customers choose to pay the full cost of the installation, using a contractor of the village's choice.

• heard that riding lawnmower owned by the village is broken. Replacing the motor would cost an estimated $2,000. Replacing the machine would cost $10,000. The board asked Clerk Cheryl Pelker to contact Simply Beautiful and offer to expand their contract to include the portions of the village where employees used the riding mower. The board also discussed problems with the tractor used to pull a mower attachment. The tractor is too small. The village needs to either replace the tractor with a larger one or get a smaller mower to tow behind it.

• heard that Vaughn's Roofing will install a new drainage system free of charge at the Community Center. The wrong size adapters were used in the interior drainage pipes, causing the roof to leak in heavy rain. The interior pipes will be abandoned and a new system put in place.

• passed the annual appropriations ordinance for $825,500.

• heard from Trustee Bill Place that the village is paying too much for phone and internet service. He will shop around for a better deal.

• passed an ordinance changing the time for Village Board meetings to 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month.