The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1921-04-15
BLACKFOOT BUYS
WATER BARGAIN
Contract Let for New City Water
System, for $188,300-Construc-
tion to Start Within a Week.

Blackfoot will have the new water
works, at a total cost of $1SS, 300
and have them right away; for work
is to be begun within week, and
rushed to completion within six
months, while the weather is still
good for economical building
On Monday night, the city council
finally accepted the bid of the Wheel
right company of Ogden, for the COM
plete system, for the price named.
The bonds were accepted at par for
the full payment. Cast iron mains
are to be used for all sizes above A.
inch, comprising 6, s, 10, IL, IA and
16-inch pipe; the Matheson joint
sheet steel pipe will go for the rest
CT the system. This is the bid men,
tioned in the News of last Friday,
and it was finally put through just
as then outlined.
Mr.. D. R. Wheelright, president of
the construction company, and G. H.
Malan, superintendent of cOnstruc-
tion, were in BlackfOOt to appear be-
fore the council in the final explAna-
tion of conditions and to sign the
contract. Mr. Malan has been here
most of the time for more than two
weeks, from the time the original
bids were first opened. He will not
remain during the construction per-
iod, however, as his duties will call
him as superintendent Of all the COM
pany activities in a number of
places; though he will be here from
time to time to check up the work.
1t is the announced policy of the
company to use as much hand labor
as possible; though they will use a
trenching machine for part of the
small mains in the sections where
there are no pipes to interfere. The
job will require large crew; prob
ably much more than 100 men most
of the time, though the number that
can Ibe used will depend on the re-
ceipt of the materials from the fac
tories.
Mr.. Wheelright and Mr.. Malan left
Tuesday for Ogden, after signing the
contract with the City council. They
will gather up the necessary equip
ment to ship here as soon as pos
sible, and they expect to have con-
siderable force of men at work with
in a week. The first work will be
the placing of mains in the new pav-
ing districts, using the cast mains
bought by the council last year with
this paving contingency in view. Ma
terials will be brought in as rapidly
as possible, and there should be no
let-up in the activity until the sys-
TEN is completed and turned over
to the city
Mr.. Malan especially says that the
work of the city council in setting
forth the community needs, and in
forcing the best possible bids SO as
to save a too-heavy outlay of public
funds, is admirable. He rates the
Blackfoot city council as one of the
best municipal governing bodies with
whom he has. ever done business.
The immediate starting of work in
sures a payroll that will be reflect
ed in every home in this vicinity.
There is small probability that any
lower bids would have been received
this year; indeed, delay of very
few weeks would certainly have run
the work up into the winter, or at
beast into the time of changeable.
troublesome weather, and the added
costs on the weather contingency
would almost. certainly have been
much greater than any possible re-
duction of material costs. A reduc-
ton of freights might conceivably
come before the heavy pipe is all
shipped; but this is improbable If
the system is to be even started this
year The fire and health necessi-
ties of the city have made an immed-
late new system practical na3es-
sity-so there you are.