More dam expenses surface in Manawa

At a special city council meeting, Monday, Oct. 22, the council was informed that the Manawa dam is in need of additional repairs.

Frank Jaeger, director of Public Works, said a lot of concrete deterioration was discovered at the west side of the building where the turbine is. In order to fix this area, Jaeger said a cofferdam will need to be constructed. He said it will cost $50,000-$60,000 to fix this area.

Jaeger said the repairs have to be made, as he didn't know what would happen if the city waited to make the repairs.

Council member Mary Eck asked why the city was just finding out about this area that needs repairs. Jaeger said he didn't know why the problems in that area weren't found sooner. He added that there was no dive done in that area. Dives were done prior to repairs in other areas of the dam to help determine what repairs needed to be made.

The newly discovered repairs should take a couple of weeks to complete, Jaeger said. He also said the pond should be ready to start being filled by the end of the week. The new repairs can be done while the pond is being filled.

With the new repair costs, Jaeger said the dam repair project should still come in under $200,000.

The council unanimously passed a motion to approve the new repairs to the dam.

Mayor Debby Nolan said after the vote, "This is what we were afraid of when we started the whole thing, what we would find."

Budget items

Other city projects were discussed. Jaeger said he will have an estimate within a couple of days on how much it will cost to redo Oak Street. This project will include redoing the road and installing curb and gutter. It would take place from Union Street to Grove Street.

The Union Street project was also discussed, which Cheryl Hass, city clerk/treasurer, said she was informed the city would like to start that project in January or February.

The council approved authorizing the city clerk to start the process of applying to the State Trust Fund for financing for the Union Street and Oak Street projects.

Nolan recommended the city contact the Lion's Club to let them know these projects may impact the parade for the Manawa Rodeo.