By Ryan Lewis
Correspondent
JASPER, Tenn. — Now that the plan to bring water to the Coppinger Cove area is complete, city officials said they are losing money because of a lack of customers.
Jasper Mayor Billy Simpson is not happy with the outcome of the project.
“I can’t say we’re all that pleased with it as far as the water project itself,” he said. “We’ve got four customers up there. We have to flush those lines twice a month.”
Simpson said the city is flushing 25,000 to 30,000 gallons of water per month through the line because, with so few customers, there’s not enough water usage to keep pressure in it.
“If everybody had gotten on [the water line], there would have been quite a few [customers], but the ones that were jumping up and down for it didn’t hook on to it,” he said. “We can’t force them to. We just have to eat it.”
“It’s sort of funny to me why we do stuff like this,” Alderman Steve Looney said. “Why would we even take four customers and put them on city water in the first place? I’m not throwing off on the Coppinger Cove folks, but we’re sitting here losing money on this deal.”
Simpson said even though the project was paid for with grant money, the town still is losing money because workers have to flush the water lines so often.
Gary Cosby of CTI Engineers Inc. said there are 40 potential customers in the area, and he believes Jasper will take on more of those customers in the future.
Recently, residents on Chambers Road said they wanted a similar water line installed, but city administrators say they want to be careful not to fall into the same trap as Coppinger Cove.
“We haven’t agreed to do anything out there yet,” Alderman Paul Evans said. “I think this board needs to have a meeting with everyone involved in this. Are we going to be in the same situation [as Coppinger Cove] where everyone says they want on it, and we run it out there and have four customers?”
Jasper attorney Zach Kelly suggested the board work out an agreement with Chambers Road residents stating that if the work is done, the residents would commit to hooking onto the water line.
Simpson said the board plans to meet with Chambers Road residents today to discuss the issue.
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.