WEST SILOAM SPRINGS, Okla. -- The West Siloam Springs Municipal Authority approved Civil Engineer Cason LeBlanc to write a grant proposal for a WaterSMART grant to obtain digital water meters during a meeting, Monday, April 18.
In a vote of 5-0, the municipal authority voted to approve LeBlanc to continue pursuing the grant. The grant is a 50/50 match grant from the Bureau of Reclamation, according to LeBlanc. West Siloam Springs can apply for up to $100,000, LeBlanc said.
LeBlanc applied for $99,000, the proposal states. The non-federal match the town needs to contribute is $104,290, the proposal states.
"This project will serve to reduce water loss within the distribution system and increase water use efficiency and customer awareness," LeBlanc said in the proposal.
If the grant is approved the town will purchase 450 Advanced Meter Readers (AMR) and five Distribution Zone AMRs as well as all associated hardware, software and training will be purchased and installed, the proposal states.
LeBlanc was quick to point out his services have not been engaged by the town. LeBlanc said he wanted to fill out the grant for the town and see if it could get the funds.
"I've applied for other grants and been successful in funding," LeBlanc said. "I just thought this would be a good opportunity to try and apply for this grant and your project was the first one that came across my desk."
Thinking that the grant would be a good fit for West Siloam Springs, LeBlanc spoke to Gary Fain, director of public works for the town and Water Supervisor Terry Woods of the South Delaware County Regional Water Authority and was spurred on to continue on.
Municipal Authority Member Marty Thompson asked if the municipal authority would be able to track leaks and reduce man-hours. LeBlanc said the meters would be able to do that.
Thompson also asked Fain what the town's water loss was on a monthly percentage basis. Fain said about two percent but he didn't think it was right.
LeBlanc recommended the town conduct a water loss audit to help determine where the problem lies. Shawn Kloepfer, a meter sales representative from Fort Smith Winwater said a two percent water loss was amazing.
"I can tell you that I have visited over 100 rural water districts and I have not met a single one that was under 25 percent water loss," Kloepfer said.
He also recommended the town conduct a water loss audit saying that there are a lot of things that go into water loss and it can be difficult to track if there hasn't been an audit done.
Kloepfer said he believes the Oklahoma Rural Water Association has teams that come out and conduct water loss audits.
He also said smart metering systems are important for all towns and municipalities because they allow those communities to set up the processes to track that stuff.
LeBlanc concluded by giving the municipal authority his fee of five to six percent and that he would only collect his fee if the town gets the grant.
The board of trustees and municipal authority also voted and heard the following items.
• Approving the minutes from the March 21 board of trustees and municipal authority meetings.
• Hearing reports from town officials/employees Kris Kirk, CPA; Police Chief Larry Barnett and Fain.
• Approving the town's purchase orders for March 2022: General PO #'s35004-35064 for a total of $137,155; EMS PO #140 for a total of $21,444; Tribal PO #'s 8-9 $453.
• Approving Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Contract Closeout Certifications.
• Approving the annexation of 57209 S. 730 Rd, Colcord, Okla.
• Approving municipal authority purchase orders for March 2022: Water PO #s 12378-12405 for a total of $64,713 Street PO #s 1666-1680 for a total of $14,275.
• Approving the use of $75,000 of ARPA funds for street construction.
• Taking no action on the matter of employee Ethan Reynolds attending Northeast Technical Institute in Kansas, Okla., for a five-week course to obtain his commercial driver's license and revisit the issue during the fall.
• Approving the salvaging of a 1999 Chevy pickup to Frailey's Recycling.