BEATRICE – The Beatrice Board of Public Works is recommending city council approval of two major contractor payments for water system improvements being financed through a state loan program.


One payment is to Judds Brothers Construction, totaling over $612,000 for installation of a new water transmission line northwest of the city, at city wellfields. The second, totaling over $415,000, is to Myers Construction, Inc. for downtown water main replacement work.


Water Superintendent Steve Kelley says just over half of the new transmission line has been installed northwest of the city. A supervisor for Myers Construction says new water main has been installed from Grant Street to south of Ella Street…and the next section will go in from that point south, to Bell Street.
Kelley says the next downtown project will be along Court Street…accomplished in phases between 4th and 10th Streets.


"The new one on Court Street between Fourth and Tenth will actually still be in the street, because several of the basements protrude out into the right-of-way...so we can't put it behind the curb."


The old water main along the north side of Court is left in place, and the new main will be along the south side of Court, under the street. The Court Street project, Kelley says, will be accomplished in two-block sections, to minimize disruptions.


"That water main we're replacing is over 100 years old. 1886 is the first water main we put in."


Once the new mains are installed, the Myers representative says the switchover at individual service points from the old main to the new, can happen in as little as fifteen minutes. In cases where problems with service lines are discovered, such as leaks…it could take up to two hours. Some larger service connections can take up to a day.


The City of Beatrice is utilizing a state loan of more than seven-million dollars over 30 years, at no interest cost….to make water system improvements.