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Resident urges faster water-line upgrades, cites lost homes and firefighting limits in Crestwood area
Summary
During public comment, resident Jim Seibern urged the commission to accelerate water-line and hydrant upgrades in Crestwood after multiple house fires he says were exacerbated by low water pressure and limited hydrant flow.
Jim Seibern, a Crestwood resident, used the public-comment period to urge the Arkansas City Commission to accelerate water-line and hydrant improvements for the Crestwood area, saying several houses have burned in recent years and that limited water flow has impeded firefighting efforts.
Seibern recounted a decades-long history of annexation promises for better water and public safety services and said the community has lost multiple houses to fire, including a notable house he said was known as the Richardson house. He described instances in which firefighters had to run tanker‑shuttle operations because nearby hydrants and distribution lines could not provide sufficient flow. “They were hauling water to that fire…they lost the Richardson house,” Seibern said.
At the meeting Seibern and commissioners discussed technical remedies the city has considered or begun. Seibern described a previously proposed standpipe intended to increase pressure in the Crestwood area; he said a 50‑foot standpipe would have provided roughly 1.5 pounds of pressure per foot and therefore about a 75‑pound gain of pressure for the neighborhood. City staff and the mayor responded that the city purchased an acre at the Moore Road and Chestnut site for a planned water tower, that a soil sample had been completed, and that work on a tower is expected next year.
The fire chief explained the city’s hydrant‑color system and how it relates to available flow. The chief said red‑bonneted hydrants indicate low flow (roughly 0–499 gallons per minute), and that typical two-hand attack lines flow about 180 gallons per minute each; flows and pressure together determine firefighting effectiveness. The chief also described how older or corroded pipe interiors can reduce the effective opening of a water line, limiting flow even where pipe diameter is nominally larger.
City staff said the water-rate study and recent water-rate increase were intended in part to fund hiring personnel and in‑house work to replace aging water lines; staff said the city has purchased a boring machine and plans to begin laying new pipes. The mayor offered to provide additional follow-up and contact information for residents who want to discuss specific issues.
Seibern closed by saying he had been pressing the issue for decades and urged immediate action to protect homes and the city’s tax base.
