The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1953-06-05
Work To Start On Sewer
System Plant Next Week
Builders Poised
To Start On Long.
Awaited Project

The first spadeful OF
earth, marking the start of
Key Vests long awaited
two-million dollar sewer
service expansion project,
will be turned sometime next
week and some 13 months
later, the city will be the
possessor Of the most mod
ern sewer system of 1t type
In the nation.
Contractors for the pro-
ject, The Reinertson Com
pany, Miami, and the Powell
Construction Company of
Fort Lauderdale, are poised
to start work on the huge
construction job with first
equipment slated to arrive
shortly.
Clifford and Cooper, As
sociates, the city's consulting
engineers for the project,
said today that it will be at
least six months from the
start of the job that the first
sewer lines will be cut in and
begin to function.
Over l23 separate sheets of blue
prints and two books Of specifica-
tons, each of them twice the
thickness Of a standard pulp mag
azine, were the result Of is months
Of planning on the part of the en-
gineers and now the mass Of data
and instructions they have COM
piled, win be transformed into a
modern sewer system which viii
amply take care Of Key Vests
needs for many years to come,
even when Key Vests anticipated
expansion is considered.
Jobs for more than 300 construc-
ton workers viii be provided on
the project, which viii include the
laying Of nearly 20 miles Of sewer
lines.
''We want TO use local labor when
ever possible" Jack Cooper, Of the
engineering firm said today. How
ever, that there may be a shortage
Of skilled men was evidenced by
the fact that they searched in vain
this morning for a transit operator.
The city has been divided into
six sewage districts ior the con-
struction and the work has been
divided between the two contract
ors with two separate contracts
granted.
The Powell Company. holder
81 Contract g.. will be Fsspon-
alhle for the construction Of
master pumping station and an
ocean outfall line At ~. Taylor
which will consist Of . ? inch
pipe Iutting some AGO feet out
Into the Atlantic Ocean.
The structure which viii house
me pumping system will be Is
BY q foot building, containing
four pumps ranging up TO $50.
horsepower. The station will be
capable oE handling II million
0aIIons Of sewage dailY.-Mhlch Is
Ger IN excess 81 the clty's pre-.
sent needs.
II also has a shredder which
win eliminate the. possibility Of
sewage coming back 10 the beach.
The Powell Company viii then
connect lines in districts two, three
and four which includes the entire
western cad Of the island includ.
Ing The business district.
The Reinertson Company will
start laying sewer lines their work
IN District Six, the area bounded
by Fourteenth Street and Flagler
Avenue. north 20 the Gulf OF Mex
leo and east 10 the Stock Island
bridge.
However, h will be a, least six
months before lines are actually
hooked up to tae oatfall Statioc
Al street liaes VIII be laid Sdioin.
Ia pFOpersy Lines. Portions Of The
old sewer syatem WIN be used
Whenever possible and ali faulty
eestinna VIII be replaced. No line
VII be laid mere than seven feet
baaow aaa lssei in comparison with
the IL tsst prevalent in the old
WPA built system. This wiz re-
nalt in q reduction IN the eost az
EnRirtnnanee IS win as lower con-
seTncHon costs.
TAs en1snserx are 6eSlroaS Of
kavaAx al week. In the eily'S com.
mereAal e.trsciS daae during The
summer moaths whenever possible
and ecnfine gaesr work 70 the resi-.
Gconsanaei On Psge Twol