ADDED PRESSURE
City makes good on promise of water lines
By Lori Mellinger

Bullard utility worker David Gortman climbs from the bulldozer last week as the city crew finishes a day of work on Lilly Lane.

It's been a little over a year, but the City of Bullard is making good on a promise to the residents of Lilly Lane. Residents of the street have - for years - been plagued by problem after problem - mostly a lack of water supply.

But at December's council meeting, City Manager Larry Morgan announced that the public works crew has priced out muchneeded water pipe valves for the street.

And now, the crew is laying the new pipe. The crew began work last week but had to call it off because of inclement weather. They expect to be back on the job as early as the end of the week.

"Lilly Lane and the concerns residents face has been on the forefront of the city's mind," Morgan said. "And the small delay was because of two new subdivisions in that area."

Morgan said he needed to see the effect these subdivisions would have on water supply before determining the best course of action.

"We had two developers who weren't on the horizon at the time," he said. "Those developers will have a direct impact on the water pressure of Lilly Lane, so we felt it prudent to wait until the area were platted."

"I hate to give timelines, because of the myriad circumstances - such as weather or other emergencies - that could affect the schedule," Morgan said. "I will say, however, that the council takes these residents and their concerns seriously.

"And I think that's what they wanted in the first place."

The project, he said will be done in stages of 1,500 feet on the mile-long road.

Public Works Director Mark Barker said it's hard to estimate how long it will take because it depends on how many driveways have to be bored into to install the six-inch lines.

The lines will replace the 3-inch ones that have proved too small for a growing area.

"Three-inch lines should have never been put there," Barker said. "They are just too small for residential usage."