Sweetwater Authority approves Central Wheeler tank project, board highlights $4 million transfer from dam reserve

The Sweetwater Authority board of directors voted unanimously Feb. 12 to approve the Central Wheeler tank project, a water system upgrade the board said will address long‑standing pressure issues in parts of the authority's service area.

The board discussion focused on a previously approved budget transfer of $4,000,000 from the Sweetwater Dam Reserve to fund the Central Wheeler work and on clarifying why that transfer was not called out in the staff report before the meeting. Director Cox said the item was "very much long awaited" for the District 5 community and noted "87 homes that have been dealing with subpar water pressure for many, many years." The director said the goal of the discussion was transparency, not to change the committee recommendation.

Board members voted to approve the Central Wheeler project after a motion and second. The roll call recorded all present directors voting in favor. The board’s action keeps the project on the agency's approved work plan and authorizes staff to proceed as described in the staff materials presented at the meeting.

The project had previously been budgeted with the $4,000,000 transfer from the Sweetwater Dam Reserve; board members asked staff to ensure future reports explicitly note that transfer so the record reflects how the project is funded.

Staff did not present additional funding changes at the meeting. The board moved on to other agenda items after the vote; no amendments to the project funding or scope were made on the dais.

The board's approval does not itself execute contracts or construction; subsequent staff actions consistent with the board’s authorization will follow the authority’s procurement and contracting processes.