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Public works reports 45 water meters installed; staff installing most units
Summary
Public works says 45 meters were installed since mid‑August, with staff completing the majority; officials described scheduling, installation rates and technical obstacles and outlined how residents can request installs.
Corey Marcoux, who works for the city’s public works department, updated the Newport City Council on Sept. 9 about the city’s residential water‑meter installation program, saying the first meter went in around Aug. 12 and crews have installed 45 meters since then.
"Our first meter was put in around the August 12, and since then we've done 45 meters," Marcoux said, and added that five of those installations were completed by private plumbers and the other 40 were installed by city staff at the public works department or the sewer plant. He said crews typically install about "4 to 5" meters per day when there are no complications.
Marcoux described technical obstacles that can delay installs, including nonstandard plumbing, structural obstacles such as walls in the way, and galvanized service lines that may require different connections. "There's probably about 15 right now that need alterations of some sort, maybe small, maybe some are bigger," he said. He said crews have visited about 60 homes while door‑hanging neighborhoods and calling numbers supplied by the task force.
The public works official said the department has improved tracking of installations with a spreadsheet and can schedule installs quickly: "If they called me tomorrow, I could get them in this week," Marcoux said, adding that callers can email newportwaterdepartment@gmail.com or leave a voicemail to schedule an appointment.
Council members thanked staff and the water and sewer task force for prioritizing the work. Mayor Rick Helfer Chase said the task force recommended using city staff rather than contracting out after reviewing costs and capacity. City staff estimated the material cost for a meter assembly (5/8" to 1" meter with couplings) at about $440 each, excluding labor.
Marcoux said the department will continue door‑hangers and direct outreach in neighborhoods and will coordinate with residents on scheduling. No formal council action was taken; this item was presented as an informational update from public works and the water and sewer task force.
