Brewster council schedules public hearing for “ice pigging”

BREWSTER – Ice pigging and a well house project change order that saved the city $8,130 were among items on the Brewster City Council agenda for the regular monthly meeting last Thursday, April 20. Mayor Art Smyth said the change order involved removing a concrete valley gutter that was hindering construction work on the site.

The city also paid the second installment of $4,500 out of the general fund for the upcoming July 4th fireworks.

City Finance Director Misty Ruiz said the 2022 Rural Development loan payment of $84,008 did not occur due to a computer error on the lender’s side. The city had received an amortization schedule and draft for that loan but when Ruiz noticed that the payment had not been withdrawn she followed up and was then advised that the problem was on the other end. No penalties or fees were involved.

The Canyon Well House pump and motor were installed on April 16.

The 60-percent design drawings have been completed for the wastewater treatment plant.

The vehicle storage facility that will be funded by the city’s allotment of American Recovery Program Act (ARPA) funds held its kickoff meeting on the morning of April 20.

Work in the city library is proceeding and will include outdoor landscaping and seating, a gazebo, concrete slab, planters, and related amenities.

A public hearing was set for the next regular council meeting on May 18 for a proposed ice pigging project for city water lines. Ice pigging is a waterline cleaning process that utilizes slush ice or slurry that is forced through a pipe and cleans it.

Public Works Director Lee Webster said the project will cost about $340,000 and will treat all city water lines south of Highway 97. Webster said the process won’t travel up service lines to homes because a minimum two-inch line is needed.

“This is all free federal money,” said Ruiz, “and we think it will be a major improvement to manganese in the system.”

American Pipeline Solutions in Hackensack, New Jersey, is the only U.S. company that performs ice pigging services.