FORT SMITH - The Fort Smith Utility Department has announced they have contracted with Forsgren Inc. to replace older concrete water meter boxes with those made of cast iron at points throughout the city.
“These concrete meter boxes are aging and have been known to cause repeated water leaks. This project consists of the replacement of approximately 1160 water meter boxes, water service lines, and water service connections to main lines.” the Utility Department said in a release. “The City shall provide the new meter boxes for replacement by Forsgren.”
The City also says that it will take more than just the contractors to complete the project.
“To meet state standards, a new water meter will also need to be installed immediately after the meter box replacement is completed. Utility Department employees will follow behind Forsgren to replace the actual meter.” the City noted. “During this process affected customers may experience a water outage of approximately 4-8 hours while they disconnect old meter and replace with a new meter. A letter through direct mail will be sent to affected customers within this project.”
According to the announcement, the work shall include, but is not limited to, service tie-ins, trenching, backfilling, pavement, repair, driveway repair, curb and gutter repair, fence reconstruction, and site restoration as necessary to complete the project. This project is anticipated to take several months or up to a year to complete. Preliminary work is set to begin on November 20 and the replacement project is set to begin on November 27.
Anyone with questions about the project is advised to contact:
Ben Marts
Project Engineer II
City of Fort Smith, Utilities Department
Email: [email protected]
Office: (479) 784-2273