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West Memphis utility reports tank rehabs, summer-job hires, hydrant painting and a 4x10 work-schedule pilot
Summary
Commissioners received updates on East Park tank rehabilitation (epoxy coatings expected to add ~40 years of life), the hiring of a new water superintendent, a summer jobs program placing 12 students with the utility and fire department, private-hydrant painting to aid firefighters, and a pilot allowing employees to work four 10-hour days while keeping on-call standby procedures.
At the June 12 meeting utility staff reported multiple operational updates including a major tank rehabilitation, workforce changes and a pilot schedule for employees.
The presenter said the East Park water tank has been sand-blasted, epoxy-coated inside and out and is primed for paint; staff expect to return the tank to service by the end of June. "We'll get another 40 years of use out of that tank before we maintain it," the Director said, describing sequencing that requires taking a tank out of service during work. The presenter noted the Worthington tank at the industrial park is about 500,000 gallons and another tank is roughly one million gallons, and said the tanks were inspected every five years with relatively minimal integral repairs.
Staff also announced hiring and recruitment updates: the utility has filled the water-superintendent role (the new superintendent starts Monday) and is actively recruiting journeyman linemen.
The commission heard details on the mayor's summer job program: the utility is hosting 12 students (including two in the billing office) and partnered with the fire department to have crews paint fire hydrants. The presenter explained the color scheme: city-owned, flow-tested hydrants are painted red and private hydrants will be painted blue so firefighters can quickly identify privately owned hydrants that the city does not maintain. The presenter said private hydrants are common at apartment complexes with a master meter and that private owners are responsible for maintenance.
On personnel policy the utility described a pilot to allow employees to work four 10-hour days (two staggered shifts) to extend daytime service hours; on-call and standby procedures for nights and weekends would remain in place with an expected half-hour response time for emergencies.
The Director also reported improvements in water-loss metrics: losses had been near 10% previously but, after repairs and leak response work, the director reported system losses are "right around zero." The presenter credited water-department staff for the reductions and said crews respond quickly when leaks are reported.
The meeting concluded without further formal action on these operational items.
Provenance: Operational updates and program details summarized from meeting remarks (topic spans: East Park SEG 401–SEG 515; summer jobs/hydrants SEG 517–SEG 607; schedule pilot SEG 701–SEG 783; water-loss SEG 785–SEG 809).
