City may need to replace jetter truck

Steve Dominique of Excelsior Springs, takes his turn at shooting clay pigeons with his flint lock shotgun the 2012 Missouri Osage Muzzleloaders Black Powder competition at Marmaduke Park. This year's black powder competition and outdoor classroom are scheduled for Sept. 12 to 15. Ralph Pokorny/Daily Mail

Like the gutters on your house or the chimney on a fireplace, the city sewer mains need regular cleaning and maintenance or they get clogged with roots and other debris and then back-up in basements or yards.

Shawn Mittendorf, Alliance Water Resources local manager in Nevada, told the city council Tuesday that they try to have a regular schedule of cleaning and inspecting the sewer lines. He said the process involves the use of an outdated jetter truck that pumps water into the sewers under high pressure (up to 2,000 pounds per square inch) to remove roots and other debris and then flush it down the lines to a manhole where it can be collected in homemade wire baskets that are lifted manually from the manhole.

The age of the truck currently in use varies with which component is being discussed.

Fourteen-year-old Katlyn Maas of Bolivar, gets off a shot at a clay pigeon with her double-barreled black powder shotgun during the annual Osage Muzzleloaders black powder shoot at Marmaduke Park in September 2012. Katlyn said her grandfather, who also shoots black powder skeet, got her started with black powder rifles when she was 6 years old and started with shot guns two years ago. Katlyn is one of about 35 people who took part in the annual two-day black powder shoot.

"It has a 1986 chassis with 300,000 miles on it," Mittendorf told the council, adding that the jetter pump is 30 years old and has been rebuilt in the past, he said.

"A lot of equipment on the truck is homemade," he said.

Because of the age of the truck and its components it is frequently out of service for repairs, he said.

Mittendorf told the council a new jetter truck will cost around $350,000 and a used truck runs about $150,000.

"It's a very pricey piece of equipment," Mittendorf told council.

City Attorney William McCaffree suggested that a lease-purchase might be an option.

"When the truck is down we can't provide great customer service," Mittendorf said.

"Come back to the council with some options," Mayor Seth Barrett said.

In other business the council:

* Voted 4-0, with council member James McKenzie excused from the meeting, to adopt Resolution No. 1368 to waive the city prohibition on discharging fire arms in the city limits and to waive the midnight closing time on the city parks Sept. 12 to 15 to allow the Missouri Osage Territory Muzzleloaders in partnership with the Nevada Parks and Recreation Department to hold an outdoor classroom for area fourth-grade students and to hold a sanctioned Missouri Offhand black powder shooting competition at Marmaduke Park.

* Unanimously adopted Resolution No. 1329 to waive the prohibition on discharging firearms in the city limits on Sept. 26, so the National Wild Turkey Federation can hold a youth hunting clinic at Marmaduke Park. The Wild Turkey Federation partners with the Missouri Department of Conservation and 4-H Shooting Sports to offer turkey hunting strategies, duck hunting strategies, dog handling, archery shooting, black powder shooting and shotgun and BB shooting.

* Unanimously changed the zoning of city owned property at 120 S. Ash St., the site of the current Public Safety Building and Earp Park from R-3, apartment district, to C-3, commercial district, at the request of the city, which owns the entire block.