Demorest leaders map water and sewer upgrades, assign tasks to staff and EMI

Demorest officials and consultant Engineering Management Inc. used a July 19 city retreat to outline steps for repairing and expanding the city’s water and sewer systems and to assign staff and consultant responsibilities for planning and follow-up work. Mayor Jerry Harkness called the retreat to order at 9:00 a.m. at the EMI Habersham Office in Alto.

The retreat produced a task list directing Engineering Management Inc. and city staff to evaluate the Garrison Road well (including a flow test and cost estimate), pursue conversations with the City of Baldwin and other neighboring utilities about wholesale supply and rate structures, and determine whether a hydraulic water model is budgeted. City Manager Mark Musselwhite and EMI were tasked to review financial obligations and to assess state Environmental Protection Division standards against the city’s planned projects.

Public Works Director Bryan Popham was assigned to begin a meter-evaluation and changeout program, starting in Zone 2, which staff identified as having the poorest meter performance. The group also directed staff to break out meter rates by zones, review tap and account deposit fees, and consider increasing a second-meter rate. The mayor recorded a preference for investing in surface-water sources rather than further groundwater wells and directed staff to begin outreach about potential reservoirs such as Tallulah Lake and Lake Yona.

The retreat identified several distribution system priorities: replacing undersized 6-inch mains that are inadequate for anticipated growth, verifying easements needed for line replacements, adding gate valves, and evaluating booster pump stations and possible SCADA upgrades. Attendees also recommended performing a sanitary sewer system evaluation and preparing a timeline and budget for necessary replacements.

Administrative and legal items on the task list included reviewing prior sewer studies, completing zone-meter accuracy testing, resolving legal questions about specific TFS meters, and drafting minimum water and sewer specification standards for council consideration. The draft task list also noted a possible increase in purchased capacity from Toccoa (to 1.0 MGD) as a lower-priority item and flagged the need for council consideration of a TAD resolution.

The retreat assigned names to many follow-up tasks and asked departments and EMI to return to council with timelines, budgets and recommended ordinances or amendments where applicable. A motion to adjourn was made by Councilman Donnie Bennett, seconded by Councilman Shawn Allen, and the retreat adjourned at 5:00 p.m.

Next steps recorded in the retreat materials call for staff and EMI to prepare specific action items, cost estimates and calendar targets so that the council may consider ordinance language, intergovernmental agreements, fee adjustments and capital spending in upcoming meetings.