MEDORA — The Medora Community School Corporation’s board of trustees and town council both met Monday for regularly scheduled monthly meetings.
During the town council meeting, Todd Lepage — who manages the town’s water/sewer utilities —provided an update on Commonwealth Engineering’s progress in identifying the source of sewer main infiltration.
Commonwealth has isolated areas of infiltration and the next step will be either to meter or conduct smoke tests of them, Lepage said.
“The last time they did a smoke test, the majority of it was residential issues, illegal connections — not so much our sewers,” Lepage said. “We’re thinking it’s same thing this time, because when we get a big rain, our numbers will go straight up, and go straight back down.”
Councilman Robert Kent Thompson said the council will have to take a course of action to get this issue resolved because they have been doing nothing but “killing time.”
“I know it’s going to cost, but I don’t think we have a choice,” Thompson said. “Because if we keep on letting it go like it is, and discuss it month after month after month, we’re going to start burning our pumps up down here and that’s $10,000 a pump.”
Thompson said while it is likely the town will have to raise sewer rates, Medora citizens cannot afford too many raises.
“Now the sewer’s gotten to the point where it’s not in great shape and it’s going to get worse if we don’t do something,” Thompson said. “We need to get off our kit-kats on this and get it rolling, and just tell these guys from Commonwealth they’re going to have to get down here and do something.”
The council unanimously approved of smoke testing to be conducted by Commonwealth.
At the school board meeting earlier in the evening, Emily Engelking — Jackson County United Way’s engagement director — spoke before trustees on the success of this year’s Rock’n Ready program, a free school supplies initiative.
“This year was a really good year for us,” Engelking said. “We were able to raise about $20,000 for the program, which is huge — probably our biggest year since I’ve been here in five years.”
More than 1,200 students received school supplies as a result of Rock’n Ready this year, Engelking said.
Engelking said she is particularly appreciative of the Medora School Corporation’s staff’s dedication to the program.
“When we [collected] school supplies at Walmart, Medora really showed out,” Engelking said. “I know you guys always have the most number of volunteers that come out to your distribution event.”
Jackson County United Way is looking forward to their continued partnership with Medora in the Rock’n Ready program, Engelking said.
The Medora school board of trustees meet at 5 p.m. on the second Monday of every month in the library at Medora Junior-Senior High School, 82 S George St.
The Medora Town Council meets at 6 p.m. on the second Monday of every month at town hall, 27 N. Perry St.
Council and school board meetings are open to the public and the press.