craigdailypress.com

Craig City Council members OK'd an expenditure of $35,000, but they're still waiting to be informed of how that money will be spent.

And because the issue is one of security, the money will be spent before most know how it was used.

City staff members have completed a water plant vulnerability assessment required by the Environmental Protection Agency and are ready to start work on projects the study indicated were needed to secure the city's water supply.

But, because of the sensitive nature of the measures needed, City Engineer Bill Earley will only discuss them in private with each individual council member.

"I can't wait to hear what this is all about," Councilor Bill Johnston said. "Then we'll evaluate what's needed."

Once the work has been completed, Earley said he will release its scope and actual costs to the public.

"Once we've fixed everything, we'll talk about it," Earley said. "We're not trying to hide anything; we're just doing what the EPA recommends."

He said none of the security upgrades needed is substantial, and he expects most will be completed by the end of the year.

"The water plant is secure, but we can always improve," Earley said.

The city's received $60,000 in Homeland Security grants to help complete some of the work.

The $35,000 that was appropriated comes out of a $60,000 line item, part of which was designated to pay a consulting engineer to perform the vulnerability assessment. Instead, Earley attended seminars instructing him on how to perform the assessment, and he saved the cost by completing the work in-house.

"They had a process that wasn't very hard," he said. "It did take some time."

Completing the vulnerability assessment meant not only identifying problems, but also prioritizing their danger and establishing a timeline for doing the work.

Not completing the work identified would put the city in violation of federal law. Earley said his plan for completing the work will prevent that from occurring.

Christina M. Currie can be reached at 824-7031, ext. 210 or at ccurrie@craigdailypress.com.