Booster pump repair a costly expense

Public Works Director Cory Allison has received a solid number to replace the irreparable drivers for the two booster pumps on the Madison water line and reported his findings to the Moorcroft Council at Monday’s meeting.

To track down parts for the obsolete machines was difficult, but Allison was able to find a company that agreed to build and send the parts this week and, with reinstallation, the cost to the town will be approximately $13,000. To have upgraded the outdated equipment would have cost an extra $15,000 because of the needed replacement of the supporting system.

Allison hopes to have the work completed by this weekend, until then the town has been again relegated to the much smaller wells around town and one of those, Well #6, is also down due to the same strike. “I don’t know what the total cost is going to be on that, probably a couple thousand,” he said.

Allison advised the governing body to turn this claim into the town’s insurance as well as the company that insures Powder River Energy.

“There’s about an 80 percent chance they’re not going to cover it because it was caused by lightning, but if we put it into our insurance and theirs, we’ll let them battle it out,” he said.

“You’re going to get more out of your insurance fighting them than us fighting them. Either way it’s got to be fixed.”

Town Attorney Jim Peck agreed, “Certainly you should file it, the worst the insurance will say is that it’s not covered – it’s an act of God.”

Moorcroft Mayor Dick Claar despondently opined, “No wonder our water rates are high.”

Allison was told to continue gathering the quotes and costs as well as the damaged parts to turn in with the town’s claim.