by Carol Dunn
LA VETA- Tuesday’s La Veta Town Board meeting saw a steady stream of water tap discussions, water bill sticker shock, and a request to regularly fill the steam engine of the tourist train.
Although two water customers brought concerns to the Trustees, there may be others who find out too late that they have had leaks in service lines for months. The leaks are only caught when the meters are read after several months of estimated water bills. By then, enormous bills can accumulate. And it is Town policy that if the water goes through the meter, it belongs to the customer, and the bill is due. Mayor Mickey Schmidt remarked that a 1/8” hole in a water line under pressure will leak 296,000 gallons of water in a three-month period. Likewise, a half gallon per minute leak at a spigot will waste 720 gallons of water per day. With water lines buried five to six feet deep, the massive amount of leaked water may not even be evident above ground, as Mayor Schmidt pointed out. The Trustees were amenable to checking meters for accuracy or replacing them altogether if necessary.
The amount of wasted water from a leak at one of the local churches, could have filled the steam locomotive fourteen days in a row. With Art Miller on hand, the Board engineered a draft agreement to sell water for the steam engine, which would be in effect until the end of October.
Representatives of Grandote Golf & Country Club were on-hand testing the waters regarding a new subdivision plan involving duplex units. The plan does not currently specify what the source of water will be for that subdivision. After conferring with his clients, Dan Wachob told the Board that taps will be reallocated from ten existing lots to the new subdivision.
A liquor license renewal was granted to Jim Taft of La Veta Liquors. Shane Lester’s application for a water and sewer tap at Lots 1-4, Block 78, was also approved.
