The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-11-17
MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR
Discusses a Grave and important Sub
ject-Recommends That the City
Install Its Own Water Plant

To the President and Members of the
City Council, City of Ocala:
Gentlemen-After long, and it ap-
pears to me to be, an unnecessary de-
lay, we have finally reached the point
where you are unquestionably author
lied to issue bonds for the purpose of
either building or buying a system of
water works. This matter has been
pending for some three or four years,
and during all that period of time it
has been urged upon you the neces-
sity of preparing for the time when
you must either buy or build a sys-
tenn, or continue under the present
one
The time of election is now close
at hand. 1t is unquestionably the de
sire of a majority of the citizens of
this community that we own and con-
troll, or own water works system
This was clearly evidenced by the
vote for the issue of bonds, and in
my opinion it is high time that some
decisive step was taken for carrying
out the wishes of the people 1t is
needless for me to impress upon you
the fact that the delay is most favor
able to the water people; in fact, TO
plan could be devised by them for
the furtherance of their designs which
could suit them better than holding
up the matter as it has been held up
in the past. The question now arises
as to whether we shall build an en-
tirely new plant for ourselves, and
take over the furnishing of water to
private consumers and continue to
pay the present water company, if
compelled to by their contract, me
rental for water furnished at the ire
plugs, or shall purchase outright the
present water works system If we
are to purchase the system now own
ed by the water company, we shall
take into consideration the fact that
this paint is now twenty-five years
old. That it was improperly installed
in the first instance; that while suf-
ficient pressure might be obtained at
a designated plug mentioned in the
contract between the company and
the city, that proper pressure cannot
be obtained at other points, even
though lower than the one mentioned
That the mains are not of sufficient
size to furnish the proper pressure,
and there are no complete circuits in
the entire system, and, hence, numer-
Gus dead ends holding stgnant water
Some time ago an engineer, en-
ployed by the city, went over The
present system, and figured out the
cost of installing a new plant, and aft
er careful consideration it was his
opinion that the present system could
be duplicated with entirely new mate
rial for the sum of $4,000. 1t can be
readily seen that the present system,
if possible to duplicate it entirely new
for $4,000, cannot be, after use Of
twenty-five years, worth anywhere
Another engineer, Mr.. D. NJ. Baker, of
Jacksonville furnished an estimate to
the city in which it was shown that
a plant could be installed in the city
with 14-inch mains, and between four
teen and fifteen miles of pipes and
mains, all standard, for cost of $780,
300 In the present system we have
about five and one-half miles of pip
ing, not standard Under these fig
ures we could secure much better
plant with larger mains, no dead ends
and built in such manner as to give
a sufficient fire protection in all parts
of the city. If we were to construct
a water plant it could be operated in
connection with out electric light sys-
tenn, which has proved very profitable,
and has. established beyond question
that property may be owned and op-
Grated by municipality successfully.
The combined cost of operating the
two, both electric and water systems,
would be little more than the present
cost of operating the electric light
plant alone. However, it might be
well to say in this connection, that
while the city bought the electric
light plant at figure greatly below
it's original cost, it was still in such
a condition of bad repair, and had
been so long in use-as has the water
works system-that really the city
made bad bargain, and was compell-
ed to expend, and did expend, large
sums of money in putting it in its
present condition. The same condi-
ton of affairs will confront the city
if they purchase the present water
system.
/ would advocate that the city con-
struct it's own water plant, and le-