CROTHERSVILLE
Requests to run a water line outside of town limits has the Crothersville Town Council looking at the bigger picture.
Zach Elliott is moving near his parents’ property along South County Road 1150E close to the Interstate 65 interchange just south of Crothersville, and his grandparents also plan to move out there.
When they asked Chris Mains, the town’s street superintendent, about running a water line to their properties, a neighbor said he would like water, too. Residents in that area now have well water.
That discussion prompted council President Danieta Foster to share that she and Councilman Chad Wilson want to get the ball rolling on possibly annexing that area into the town. The hope is that businesses will set up in that area because of the proximity to the interstate.
Mains said he would ask the Elliotts and any other residents in that area interested in having water provided by the town to attend the next council meeting, set for 6 p.m. Tuesday at Crothersville Town Hall, 111 E. Howard St. The water line and annexation will be discussed.
Mains said a town-owned 8-inch water line runs parallel to U.S. 31. Motorists turn onto County Road 700S off of U.S. 31 to reach County Road 1150E.
Running a 2-inch water main there and adding a flush hydrant for four hookups would cost around $18,000, Mains said of an estimate he received.
The residents wanting water service would cover that cost, splitting it up evenly.
If more than four residents want water service, Mains said a 4-inch line may have to be run to ensure there’s enough water volume for customers.
“The only way I would agree to it would be if they sign documentation that they will pay that,” Foster said, with Mains agreeing with that thought.
“I have no problem as long as they are going to pay the initial cost,” she said.
Brad Bender with FPBH Inc., the town’s engineering consultant, said he didn’t see an issue with the town providing water service to that area because it would not be stepping into another water provider’s territory. Plus, Mains said the town provides water service to some other areas outside of town limits.
With annexation, Foster said the idea is to extend the sewer line south of town toward the interstate and try to annex the area into town.
Bender, however, said annexation gets more and more complicated every year.
“It’s pricey not just to do the study and then get it going, but it can get pricey because if it goes through and you approve the annexation, then you are mandated to do certain services,” he said. “That’s part of what the study has to tell you is what it’s going to cost.”
Anyone with a tax parcel in the area has to be notified, and Bender said a recent addition to the state statute requires at least six public hearings.
Bender said FPBH could start the process and get town attorney Jeff Lorenzo and possibly another attorney who deals with annexation involved.
“It doesn’t take much for one to go wrong,” Bender said of annexation. “People can remonstrate, and there can be all kinds of things.”
He said the cost could be in the six-figure range.
“We could probably sit down and put together a basic map and some real quick numbers to get you started so you know what dollar range,” he said.
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What: Crothersville Town Council meeting
When: 6 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Crothersville Town Hall, 111 E. Howard St., Crothersville
Who: The public and press are invited to attend
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