Taking some time out of a busy day with much going on, Mineral Wells Mayor Regan Johnson spoke at today's Rotary Club of Mineral Wells meeting, mainly addressing and taking questions regarding the current water situation following last week's historic winter storm.
Regan said hopes are a major pump repair at the treatment plant will be made and, with no further setbacks such as more equipment failure or new line breaks, the boil water notice could be lifted late this week.
Utility customers in the city and surrounding areas whose water supply corporations receive water from the city, have endured loss of water, low water pressures and boiling water or using bottled water as a result of the storm that left the area with below-freezing temperatures for a week, with temps falling two nights at or below 0 degrees Fahrenheit under a several-inch blanket of snow and ice.
Water distribution continues this week beginning at 2 p.m. at Mineral Wells Center of Life. Quantities are limited and are available to any Palo Pinto County resident. Regan said the city is blessed to have in situations like this two water bottlers, Famous Water and Brazos Valley Spring Water, that stepped up and proved dozens of pallets of water to hand out to people.Rotarian and city Main Street Director Myndi Muncy said it was Regan who spearheaded and coordinated the initial water handout effort last week, drawing a round of applause. Myndi said people needing water for livestock should contact their local fire department because most are collecting large amounts of water for stock owners.
Regan said the water service events of the past week will be reviewed by elected officials and city staff, and she expects city council members will look at what is needed to make further improvements and help guard against a similar water outage and system failure in the future.
Many will remember New Year’s Eve several years ago when a water main failed in the canal in south central Mineral Wells that left the entire town without water for several days and also resulted in a massive water distribution effort from Mineral Wells COL’s parking lot. The city installed a series of gates in several locations to create a looped system so that water delivery could be diverted and not cause another citywide outage in the event of a water main failure.
Regan also touched on the city’s preparations and planning for the 2021-22 budget cycle, She said the city is trying to better plan and prepare for new development – commercial and residential – and said a focus remains on economic development and efforts to grow the city’s tax base that she says will then help the city fund streets and infrastructure repairs.
We thank Regan for meeting with us as long as she could before having to hurry off to another meeting. She is pictured with today's program chair, Nancy Cameron, who is holding Regan's pet long-haired dachshund puppy. Regan is holding the book she signed, "Wonder Women," that will be donated to the Mineral Wells High School Library.
New members
Sabrina Sparkman was introduced as a new club member at today’s meeting. Her husband, Allen, joined as a spouse. She is a Realtor/broker for Coldwell Banker Realty and we welcome her to the club. Both Sabrina’s and Mike’s applications were approved at the February board meeting.
Mike Rankin, meanwhile, saw his acceptance for membership accelerated at a record pace today after his drawing ticket was selected. Mike, also a Realtor with Rankin Realty Group at Fathom Realty, has been visiting for several weeks as a guest of Rotarian Wesley Wermuth and he has been intending to join. In order to be eligible for the split jackpot in case he pulled the ace of spades from the card deck, he had to be a member. So Mike agreed to immediately fill out a membership application and pay his club dues. Club members present voted to accept Mike as a new Rotarian. He pulled the king of spades, filled out the application and wrote a check for his dues. Thanks, Mike, and we look forward to your participation and fellowship. He and his wife are working on a new and exciting business venture in downtown Mineral Wells.
Next meeting
Rotary Club of Mineral Wells meets every Wednesday at noon at Southside Church of Christ, with lunch catered by Sadie’s Eats. Next week’s scheduled speaker is Rose McCombs Jordan from the Mineral Wells Area Chamber of Commerce. Meetings are for club members, invited guests and prospective members.