Jacksonville aldermen had some questions about new money being spent on the city’s new water treatment plant this week.
City Council unanimously agreed to nearly $300,000 worth of change orders for the new plant, but not before paying particular attention to a 42-thousand-dollar item for “in-floor heating” for the plant’s administrative area.
Alderman Jeff Hopkins asked if it was a luxury to have such a thing in a municipally-controlled building during Monday night’s City Council meeting.
Water Superintendent Jeff Cosner, who requested the heating system, said there would be some cost savings with the system, especially during the winter.
Jacksonville Mayor Andy Ezard says the money comes from the utilities budget.
“When you have a 30-million-dollar project, there’s things that are going to happen. If you know Superintendent Jack Cosner, he wears it on a sleeve. He does not want to spend money where it’s unnecessary, and I truly believe that Benton and Associates, with their reputation, working together with Jack Cosner, if they feel that there’s things that need to be spent during the process, then I think that’s part of the process,” Ezard says.
Aldermen also approved Cosner’s request to accept an engineering proposal for a water main distribution project at Webster Avenue and Crabtree Road.