Hollister leaders are ready to take a
”
harder look
”
at an overhaul of the downtown water-main system due to the
transfer of San Benito Street from the state to the city expected
soon and in light of the sixth burst Saturday within the past
couple of years, City Manager Clint Quilter told the Free
Lance.
Hollister leaders are ready to take a “harder look” at an overhaul of the downtown water-main system due to the transfer of San Benito Street from the state to the city expected soon and in light of the sixth burst Saturday within the past couple of years, City Manager Clint Quilter told the Free Lance.
City leaders discussed the main break at the council meeting Monday, two days after it broke at San Benito Street and Nash Road. It has caused a traffic detour in the area, while the city expected the work to be finished by Thursday, Quilter said.
The city manager also noted how the Saturday break led to water cut-offs on the block from about 4 p.m., when it occurred, to about 9 p.m. He said all the water customers in the area had it restored in time for the Easter holiday.
There was no cost estimate for the break as of Free Lance press time, though officials previously have estimated the cost for each burst at $15,000 to $25,000. The system has shown its age of more than a half century in the past 15 years or so, leading to the question of whether it would be wiser to invest in an overhaul of the main line – which runs from Nash Road to Fourth Street, and then along Fourth for several blocks as well – as opposed to fixing the breaks as they occur.
The main break last weekend was the sixth in the past couple of years, Quilter confirmed.
Replacing the entire, downtown main line could cost up to $3 million, city leaders have estimated.
Quilter noted how officials plan to conduct a “pre-design report” on a possible rebuild that includes 10 percent of the replacement design.
“That will give the council some solid figures on operations and replacement costs, versus repairs,” he said.
The city manager had noted the San Benito Street route transfer from the state, a result of the Highway 25 bypass completion, is expected to occur by next spring. It should make things less complicated when it comes to pushing forward major work on the downtown roadway.
“As we’re getting closer (to the route transfer), we’ll take a harder look at the pluses and minuses of a replacement,” he said.
This story will appear in the Pinnacle on Friday.
