The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1926-08-20
Where Will City Build
Ne,u Pumping Station?
Contract Let Involving Quarter Million Dol
lars For New Plant and No Place To Put
1t, Which Gives Rise To Street Talk

Contract for Elizabeth City's
new filtration plant and pump
ing station, to cost approx
mately $250,OO0 was let this
week under a number of con-
tracts incolving about $248,0OO,
of considerably under the city
engineers estimate of $265,OO
for the work.
The work was not let under
blanket contract az there were only
two blanket bids and these were con-
sidered high. The principal item,
the pumping station Itself, reservoir
and filter equipment was let to a.
ii. GuiOn &Co. Of GaStOnia, \. c.,
for S157,0O0. The pumping equip
ment was let to the Morris Machine
Works for $10.540; the installation
of pumping equipment and piping
to Gulon & Co.. for $3.50. II. d.
Cole Mfg. carried off the wash water
tank on a bid of S4,19O. There were
various other items let to numerous
contractors. More than % cOntrac-
tors and supply dealers were on
hand with bids Tuesday morning.
The letting Of the contract for
the new filter plant has started a
lot Of street talk. 1t seems that the
Public Utilities Commission has let
a contract for its water plant with
out having first acquired site for
the plant. Where is the plant to
be built! There's where the talk
starts.
1t seems that the Public Utilities
Commission has made up its mind
to locate the plant on the North
side of West Broad st. between
Road st. and the Elizabeth City
Husiery Mills II IL understood
/ that options have been taken on
! 80 lots Ol the old Skinner K Gregory
subdivision at $125.0O a lot, which
means S6,2JO.O0 for site of appro-
ximately eight acres.
1t is considered an ideal site for
pumping plant and to lend itself
well to the Utilities Commissions
plans to create a park around the
pumping station and make it one Of
the show places Of the town. But
, other realty owners who have land
to sell insist that they are not re-
ceiving due consideration from the
Utilities Commission. They say
that two members Of the commission
are interested in the property OH
which options have been taken.
They also say that the land for
which the Utilities Commission pro-
poses to pay $125 lot has always
been a drug on the market and Is
listed on the tax books at S43 a
lop. This newspaper made several
Commission are DR.. A. l.. Pendle-
ton, S. Fl. Johnson and NJ. L. Gal
lop. Thi snewspaper made several
unsuccessful efforts to interview
these gentlemen before going to
press.
The new pumping station and fill
tration plant will have capacity or
2,OOO,OOO gallons Of filtered water a
day and will be the most modern and
elaborate small town pumping ana
filtration plant in the Eastern part
of the state designed to give Ellz-
abeth City an entirely adequate ana
pure water supply for years TO
come. It will cost more thah the
city paid for the combined electric
light. water and sewer properties
which it took over from private
owners two years ago. 1t means the
scrapping Of the present pumping
station and filter on Pennsylvania
Ave. confirming the original de-
claration of this newspaper that the
city was paying out its money for
50 much junk when it bought those
properties.