The Wauneta Village Board of Trustees held a special meeting last Tuesday, June 27 to discuss needed maintenance to a sewer main crossing the river.
    Once upon a time the river water level was higher than the main crossing the river, but in recent years the river level has gone down and so the pipe has become exposed.
    Village superintendent Bill Bischoff has been concerned about the main for some time. He worries a storm could cause debris to go down the river and damage the main or, in the winter, ice could break the main.
    He says if the main were significantly damaged it could  allow river water to rush into the sewer system through the break and ultimately flood the lift station, where the pumps would be unable to keep up with the amount of water. If that were to happen, it would cause costly damage to the village’s sewer system.
    David Blau with Miller and Associates attended the meeting to discuss a solution for the sewer main crossing.
    Blau proposed replacing the main with a PVC pipe encased in a half-inch steel pipe lined with sand to protect the new main. Concrete supports will be installed on each side of the river. He said engineers have reviewed the plan and feel it would protect the main for up to 50 years, even if the river continues to dig deeper into the bed or lose water.
    Miller and Associates have already gained approval from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for the project and were able to secure 50-percent grant/50-percent loan funding for the village.
    Under the State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan/grant proposal, Blau said the village would be awarded up to $100,000 in grant funds and the rest of the funding would be a 20-year loan at the rate of one and a half percent plus an additional one percent for administrative fees.
    Blau estimates the project will cost $200,000–250,000 and take 30-45 days to complete once construction begins. The board approved the project and the SRF loan/grant. Miller and Associates will publish for project bids in the near future. The board is hopeful the project can be completed before winter sets in.

New nursing home rates approved
    Board members also approved revised room and service charges for the Wauneta Care and Therapy Center (formerly Sunrise Heights of Wauneta). The increase amounts to a four-percent increase in private pay room rates and care levels, effective Sept. 1.
    The new rates will change the daily price of a standard companion room from $145 to $151 per day. Standard private rooms will move from $151 to $157 per day and private deluxe rooms will move from $162 to $168 per day.
    Daily level of care rates will also be adjusted. In FY 2016-2017 the daily level of care rates varied between $33 and $72. The new care level of care rates approved will vary between $34 and $75 per day.
 

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