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http://www.omniture.com --> Email Story to a Friend July 5, 2006 Rogue River purchases site for proposed reservoir By Sanne SPecht Mail Tribune ROGUE RIVER — Concerned about future water needs, the city has purchased a site for a proposed 1.2 million-gallon reservoir. The property was purchased June 30 for $125,000 from James H. Armstrong of Grants Pass. The new one-acre site is on steep terrain at the top of Broadway Street, as are the city's current two reservoirs, which hold 500,000 and 250,000 gallons respectively, said Public Works Director Ken Johnson. The reservoirs serving the city of 1,995 residents have a combined storage capacity of 750,000 gallons — and during hot summer days demand is for more than 900,000 gallons, Johnson said. "The proposed reservoir would complement our current reservoirs and significantly increase our treated, stored water capacity," Johnson said. Water to fill the tank will come from city wells or the city's water-treatment plant during low demand months, he said. Although water rates increase 2 percent annually, the system essentially covers its operating expenses without enough revenue to fund the purchase or construction of a new reservoir, Johnson said. The city is hoping to receive a $1 million federal grant, he added. Johnson recently took a trip to DeKalb, Ill., to view a glass-fused steel reservoir which at $550,000 cost approximately half the price of a typical concrete reservoir of the same size, he said. "(Steel reservoirs) are also cost-effective and have received positive marks from other communities," he said. Armstrong is seeking city approval of a 31-lot development on three adjacent parcels and hopes to get final approval and start construction in the fall. Armstrong said he was following the wishes of a former owner when he sold the site to the city. "(The original owner) had committed to selling that acre to the city," Armstrong said, "and so I honored that promise." Johnson also said the sale is separate from the development. The city has secured easements across Armstrong's three parcels to allow access to the new reservoir site should the planned development not go through "for any reason of the city's or the developer's," Johnson said. "We had the flexibility put into the purchase." Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or at [email protected] Advertisement s Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations --> online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Entertainment Guide --> Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Casino Reviews