Water well issues concern Odessa

ODESSA — Town Council discussed the issue of municipal well No. 3, until recently the town’s primary water source, at a regular meeting Monday, Feb. 12. Faced with declining output from well No. 3, the public works crew switched to using well No. 4, the former backup well.

A $30,000 grant was obtained to study why the well’s output declined so drastically. The study resulted in two proposals: scrubbing of the well shaft for $250,000 with no guarantee that the decline would be remedied or placing a camera down the shaft to inspect it for $50,000.

Mayor Bill Crossley told the council that the local area water table has dropped by 20 feet since the 1960s. The council voted for the camera option as a first step.

The business licensing program of the state’s Dept. of Revenue is being updated. Cities and towns must now submit paperwork for business licenses to receive the share of revenue due them from the state.

Most municipalities already do so, but Odessa is one of the few that has not done so up to now.

Town librarian Julie Jantz presented a report to Council on programs that the local library provides to the community. The library has seen an increase in patronage over the past few years, as a weekly story hour for children on Wednesdays has grown in popularity, and the five-member library board has now also agreed to offer an art-based program to follow the story hour.

The Town has received letters of interest from five community members wishing to fill council position No. 2 recently vacated by Josh Clark. Prior to the next regular council meeting on Feb. 26, Council will interview each of the five to assist decision-making to fill the position.

Businessman Nate Lathrop has requested the closure of both north and south Division Street downtown for his “All Car and Bike Show” to be held June 30. Council approved the closure on that date.

Town Clerk Meri Jane Bohn reported that two grants out of the seven currently active have been closed out within the past two weeks, one of which will return $400,000 to the town’s coffers. Mayor Crossley added that the community center remodel project cannot be closed out until an exterior painting issue is resolved.

He also reported that a broken pipe at the Old Town Hall resulted in the front lawn of that building being torn up.

The Odessa Municipal Airport wind cone replacement project independent fee estimate was approved in the amount of $5,000.

A building permit for a new fence at a residence on East First Avenue was tabled due to questions posed by several council members.