Updates are given regarding Mamou water system

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The Mamou Town Council heard from town engineer David Hidalgo about updates on the water system improvements project at the meeting on Wednesday, September 9.
He said the projects will be split up into three contracts with one for the water treatment facility, a contract for two water wells, and the third contract for meters throughout town and the service area, as well as a few line replacements. They are receiving bids, and by the next meeting he will ask the council to award the three contracts. Hidalgo said if everything goes smoothly, they hope to begin construction within the next couple of months. He said the longest project is going to be the water treatment facility, which could take about a year or more. “Hopefully within the next year-and-a-half we’ll be wrapping it up, and you’ll have some much-improved water quality for the citizens of Mamou,” he said.
Hidalgo said they are looking at $3.5 - $4 million of a loan, which includes purchase of property. He said usage rates will have to be adjusted later in order to pay back the loan, but he expects to get some help from the Rural Water Association and the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) to set the rates to pay the monthly bill on the loan. The financing for the project is a loan from the LDH with a 20-year term. “I’ll be 80 years old,” joked Fontenot, adding the project is “long overdue.”
In other news, Police Chief Brent Zackery said his department has started enforcing a back log of warrants and have collected $2,200 so far.