New congregation in Del City asks city to allow temporary construction water

Marcus McMinn, the new owner of the former Carter Park Church of Christ building on Southeast 16th Street, asked the Del City City Council on Nov. 3 for temporary construction water so his congregation can inspect plumbing and complete required upgrades before occupying the building. "All we're asking is if we could just get it temporarily cut on so we could check pipe," McMinn said, adding he had submitted occupancy paperwork the same day.

Longtime resident Larry Harding told the council his family has been associated with the Carter Park congregation for decades and welcomed McMinn’s group as new neighbors. Harding said the congregation did not know about inspection requirements before closing the sale and urged the city to help speed any necessary inspections. "We just hope that the inspections can ... be done in a timely manner, so that Marcus and his congregation can begin using the building right away," Harding said.

City staff told McMinn and Harding the city has a construction-water policy that allows temporary water for work at a cost of $10 per week and that someone from the buyer’s side must be present when water is turned on; staff also offered to provide a staff contact to coordinate the service.

The mayor and council did not take formal action on the request during the public-comment period; staff offered one-on-one follow-up outside the meeting to ensure the paperwork and inspections proceed. The city directed utility staff to work with the new owner to schedule the construction-water service and necessary inspections.