Hendersonville moves to handle drainage woes, save money

By Carolyn Thompson
Diversity Institute Fellow

03.14.06

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HENDERSONVILLE — The Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted Tuesday night to purchase its own equipment to address drainage problems and save the city money.

The board voted 12-1 to allow the public works committee to go shopping and buy a backhoe and dump truck to alleviate the city's water drainage problems without asking for a tax increase.

Board members approved $150,000 to buy the equipment, which will be used by city employees to fix small drainage problems.

Alderman Mark Skidmore, chairman of Public Works Committee, said he was "tired of having to wait on projects that I felt we could have done."

Skidmore, who sponsored the ordinance, said in the past, the city would contract the work out and contractors would take up to 19 months to complete the projects. He said the cost was approximately $300,000 a year.

Residents have complained about the drainage problems for years. "When it rained, the water just sat in my backyard, said Eunice Goforth, 85, of Sumner Meadows Lane. The city just looked at it and hasn't helped my situation any."

The public works committee will put out a local bid for equipment. Skidmore said the city wants the work completed this spring.

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