The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-01-18
PLAN WEST SIDE PUMP STATION
Fire Department Demands Better Ar
rangements for Water to Take Care
of Fires and Board Is Considering
Building Electrically Operated Plant.

Many Kenosha people will receive
rebates from the Kenosha Water Com
pany when the bills are paid next May
as at meeting of the board held ON
Tuesday afternoon it was decided to
abolish the practice of collecting an
advance fee of $3.50 for the installa-
ton of water meters and all people
who have paid this advance rate in
recent years will have the amount
charged off of their bills when they
are rendered next spring. It is de-
clared by the superintendent of the
company that the amount Of the re.
bates will run over $4,000.
The cutting of of this advance fee
is in keeping with the movement of the
company to have It's business strictly
in keeping with the rules Of the rail
road commission. The formal resolu-
ton providing for the renting of me-
tiers and for the reduction of the mini
mum rate for service from So to IS a
year was passed and it will go into
effect at once. Many bills will be
rendered under this minimum rate. OF
course the receipts of the company
will be reduced by this plan and the
surplus will not pile up so fast, but at
that the money will remain in the poe
kets of the people of the city and the
reduction in the rates due to this reso-
luton will be material one. At the
time of the May payment of water
rents property oNners may claim re-
bates for money paid for meters, but
they must understand that the rent Of
the meters must be paid for the years
that they have been installed before
any rebate will be given.
The commission took up a most inn
portant matter and that was the en-
largement of the well and the building
of an auxiliary plant on the west side
of the city for use in case of fires. 1t
is claimed that the present demand OF
the city for water is such that both
Of these steps must be taken.
The capacity of the well at the foot
of Market street is not sufficient to
take care of the present demand for
water and the superintendent of the
company was directed to secure an es-
innate on the cost of a larger well
and present specifications for such
well at the next session of the board.
It is planned to erect a new pump
house on the west side of the city and
install in it an electrically driven
pump. This pump could be driven
with power transmitted from the pres
emit pumping station and it is declared
that with this plan of operation the
cost of operating west side pump
would not be great.
elm discussing this matter" said
Superintendent Baltzer, "we were act
ing at the suggestion of the chief of
the fire department. The city is spread
ing over wide territory and with the
present facilities it is all but impossi-
BILE to furnish proper fire pressure in
the extreme western portions of the
city. We are forcing the pumps to
their capacity every time we have a
fire and we have found that with two
sets of pumps working the well is not
large enough to furnish the water. A
west side electrically operated pumping
station seems to be the only solution
for the difficult. We have not decid-
ed on the building of such station
at this time, but the suggestion met
with very favorable reception from
the members of the water board and
It is probable that formal action in
the matter will be taken at an early
meeting"