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McAlester council approves $108,750 emergency sewer repair spanning Main Street and railroad
Summary
The McAlester City Council approved an emergency purchase of $108,750 to replace about 575 feet of collapsed sewer line, pipe-burst under a railroad crossing and install three manholes, a city staff member said; the work will also create a new connection point for nearby properties including Monument Place.
The McAlester City Council approved an emergency purchase to replace about 575 feet of collapsed sewer pipe, conduct pipe-bursting under a railroad track and install three new manholes, a city staff member said during the council meeting.
The expenditure, described in the meeting as $108,750, covers the pipe replacement from Main Street across the highway and under the railroad to an existing manhole behind Jet Tire, the staff member said. “They’re gonna be pipe bursting underneath the railroad track, so that we’re not having to deal with railroad issues either,” the staff member said.
Why it matters: the replacement is intended to stop recurring blockages and collapse in old clay/transite lines that have trapped jetter equipment, broken jetter heads and prevented the sewer from draining at a vault fed from the lift station. Work also will replace an old brick manhole that has collapsed, shorten jetting runs for maintenance and create a new connection point for nearby properties, councilors and staff said.
During discussion the staff member described multiple failed attempts to clear the line: crews videoed the pipe, got a camera and a jetter head stuck under the railroad, and discovered sections of collapsed pipe. “We made it just so far… it turns into clay transite pipe, and it's collapsed,” the staff member said. Contractors who previously jetted the line also broke a jetter head, staff said.
The project will add new manholes and a continuous replacement line so crews can jet shorter runs and avoid repeated repairs, the staff member said. The replacement will also make it possible to re-route or connect local customers that currently use long, circuitous, and partly collapsed lines. The staff member said the work should allow Monument Place to be connected to the new main line and noted other nearby properties that have sought service, including a business described as the old locksmith shop.
A resident who spoke during the discussion said a local retail business had been charged sewer fees despite not being properly hooked up to the system. “The city had never hooked my sewer up,” the resident said, adding that the business had paid sewer bills though it lacked a functioning sewer connection.
Council action: a motion to approve the emergency purchase was made and the council recorded that the motion carried. The transcript records multiple affirmative roll-call responses; the chair stated, “Yes. The motion carries.” No abstentions or dissenting votes were recorded in the transcript excerpt.
Next steps: the staff member said the contractor will perform pipe bursting beneath the railroad and replace the identified manholes; staff and councilors also said they are exploring connection options for Monument Place and for at least one other nearby property. The staff member said the replacement work should prevent the need for repeated emergency repairs in the same location.
Details not specified: the vendor name for the purchase was not clearly specified in the transcript excerpt. The transcript does specify the dollar amount discussed ($108,750), the approximate length of line to be replaced (575 feet) and the number of manholes to be installed (three).
