Roswell to Vote on Water Tank Placement Monday

Roswell City Council will vote on three location options during their meeting, Monday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.

Months of discussion among city leaders and local residents have led to Monday's vote by Roswell City Council, which will decide where to construct the new water plant's raw water storage tank. All three of the final options - numbered one, two and four - will be visible from Waller Park. Waller Park was chosen as the most viable location for the tank due to its proximity and elevated position over the water plant. The council approved taking out a $16 million loan from the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority last October to pay for the new plant, which will replace the existing 80-year-old facility that city leaders say is failing. The Roswell City Council meeting is Monday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. in council chambers at Roswell City Hall, …

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Lee Fleck

4:55 pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2013

In less than 3 years the cost for the unnecessary plant has already increased by $4 million to a total debt of over $20 million for 5,700 homeowners. And the ground hasn't even been broker yet. In July of 2010 the firm that was hired by the city to analyze their customers water needs projected a cost $13 million to build a new 3MGD plant. By the time the loan was approved by city council last …   more ›

Final Water Plant Meeting to be Held Monday Night

The meeting will take place at Roswell City Hall, Monday, Jan. 28, in room 220 from 5 p.m.-7 p.m.

Roswell Hires Water Plant Engineering Firm

The city has yet to finalize a specific location for the new water treatment plant that is to be built.

Despite recent concerns from the Grimes Bridge Parkways community over a third, more prominent site, for the city's proposed new water plant near Waller Park, Roswell city staff say nothing is final yet. Roswell City Council hired Jacobs Engineering Group for $1.2 million during its Monday, Dec. 17 meeting. The firm will handle the design and construction oversight services of the new plant. According to the city, six engineering firms responded to the request for proposals and three firms were shortlisted. Jacobs was recommended to council for its "greater breadth" of similar project experience, Public Works Director Stuart Moring told council. Speaking to the issue of currently proposed sites, Moring also noted that the firm will …

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Roswell Residents React to New Locations for Water Plant

Responding to public feedback, the city of Roswell proposed two new locations for a new water plant. In either scenario, the plant would still be in Waller Park, but would be separated from ball fields and houses.

Two new locations for a proposed water plant in Roswell were shown to the public Thursday night, June 14. After hearing public feedback from two open house meetings in March, the city of Roswell changed the proposed location. In either scenario, the plant and water tank would still be in Waller Park, but would no longer back up to houses on Meadowood Drive. Instead, the two potential locations are: (See maps in the attached PDF) Several residents said they liked the new locations better. “It’s a vast improvement over what they were going to do,” said Laura Wiggins, who has lived on Meadowood Drive for more than 20 years. “The original option was going to back up to our neighborhood and look horrendous.” She said she preferred a plan to …

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Dan

5:29 pm on Monday, June 25, 2012

Just seems to me that since we can't supply the whole city with water, it's not worth the cost and effort to be in the water business. But I suspect that there are LOTS of politics -- and pride -- at play here.   more ›

Roswell to Hold Another Public Meeting on the Potential New Water Plant

The meeting will be held Thursday, June 14.

Having taken public input to rework prior plans, the city of Roswell is nearly ready to reveal its second draft of plans for a potential new water plant. Two prior public open house meetings held during March lead the city to refine its original plans. The new plans will be the focus of an informational open house June 14.  According to the city, Roswell’s current water plant is nearly 80 years old and needs to be replaced. Without the new plant, the city’s water production costs will continue to increase at a faster pace than if a new plant was built. City staff have said a new water plant will save Roswell $11.6 million over a 20-year period in water purchases from Fulton County, as well as repair and refurbishment costs needed for the …

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Roswell Presents Water Plant Specifics, Residents Concerned about Location, Finances

At one of two public hearings Monday, Roswell residents came out to learn about a proposed water plant. The big concerns were the plant's location by Waller Park and the financing.

The city of Roswell presented specifics about a proposed new water plant during two public meetings Monday, March 19; but some city residents expressed concerns, saying they were opposed to its location by Waller Park and questioning of the financing. The city is proposing a $15.9 million new plant to replace an existing one that officials say is outdated and in need of costly repairs. By building a new plant, the city estimates saving $11.6 million over 20 years. To finance the plant, the city proposes borrowing $14.5 million from the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA). An additional $1.3 million would come from money already set aside from water customer revenues. And a water rate increase of $1 per month is being considered …

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Lee Fleck

11:47 pm on Thursday, March 22, 2012

As a professional who built a water plant, it finally appears that slowly but surely the facts are coming to the surface. The “Fiscal Capacity Analysis” presented makes it apparent that since the last water rate increase in 2009, the City has generated significantly more revenue. My concerns have always been related to funding the loan and what would be the carrying costs from the time the “line …   more ›

Roswell Schedules Water Plant Informational Meetings

The city will hold two public meetings to discuss a potential new water plant on March 19.

Roswell city staff will soon hold two informational open house meetings about the potential of building a new water plant. The meetings, to be held March 19, will allow city staff to make a brief presentation on water service improvements and answer questions about the new plant from the public. Roswell’s current water plant is nearly 80 years old and needs to be replaced, according to the city. City staff has said an unimproved water plant will mean more swiftly rising production costs than if a new plant was built, which equates to higher water bills for the 5,600 water customers. The city has released an analysis which forecasts a new water plant, costing $15.9 million to build, will actually save Roswell water ratepayers $11.6 million …

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Lee Fleck

11:18 pm on Friday, April 6, 2012

Kay Love announced a $90,000 annual discrepance in the debt service for the proposed new water palnt. Instead of the city securing a 1.3% interest on the nearly $15 million loan the interest rate will in fact be one percentage point higher. I have also been advised the there will be additional public hearings in the near future.   more ›

Roswell Breaks Ground on New Groundwater Well Development Project

City leaders, staff and council met Tuesday to break ground on a groundwater well site off Willeo Road.

Roswell Water Utility is currently trying to improve and expand its ability to provide a sustainable water supply to local customers, says city staff. The city officially broke ground at a new groundwater well site off Willeo Road on Tuesday, March 6, making Roswell - in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - one of the first metro area water suppliers to follow through on a state request to tap into water resources other than the Chattahoochee or Big Creek. The well will add approximately 360,000 gallons of water per day to Roswell’s water supply, according to the city. The project will construct two water lines: one from the groundwater well to the water treatment building near the intersection of Highway 120 and Willeo Road…

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Lee Fleck

9:03 pm on Friday, March 9, 2012

According to the Army Corp of Engineers, in their "DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT GROUNDWATER WELL AND TREATMENT FACILITY PROJECT" provided on behalf of the City of Roswell, the following excerpt related to the prospects of developing well water production to augment the Dobbs street plant it states; Section 6.13.1. The proposed project would withdraw an estimated 0.17 MGD (170,000 gallons per …   more ›

Roswell Looks to Build New Water Plant

City staff is proposing a potential new water plant, but some are opposed.