Dierks City Council discusses cost for Waste Water Treatment Plant

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    Mayor gives update on construction new Weyerhaeuser mill

    Natasha Worley
    Reporter
    DIERKS – Water and sewer
    issues remain prominent in
    the city of Dierks this month.
    At Monday night’s city
    council meeting, Mayor
    Terry Mounts spoke about
    the Waste Water Treatment
    Plant that the city is attempting
    to initiate.
    According to Mounts, the
    costs to build the treatment
    plant have risen. The ADEQ
    informed the city that their
    existing sewer lagoon and
    pond levees must be raised
    about 10,000 cubic yards
    because it is in a flood zone.
    The clay to build this new lagoon
    will be donated for free
    from Weyerhaeuser, which
    will save the city a large
    amount of money; however,
    the remaining costs of the
    lagoon still total $57,500.
    The city must also purchase
    an aerator for $18,500.
    The largest cost for the
    city will be $105,000 to rehab
    the existing rock filter,
    which rests between the
    sewer lagoon and the pond.
    With these added costs,
    the total for the project has
    been raised from $310,000
    to $474,000. The vote was
    unanimous to accept these
    charges.
    Mayor Mounts reported
    on the construction of a new
    mill at the Weyerhaeuser
    plant and said that several
    contractors continue to
    work on that project.
    Some 26 truckloads of
    steel is expected to be delivered
    in the next couple
    of weeks.
    The $190 million project
    will include a new facility
    that plans to have an annual
    production capacity
    of 387 million board feet, 25
    percent more than current
    capabilities.
    The old facility will continue
    to operate while the
    new facility is built nearby.
    Weyerhaeuser employs
    about 250 at the Dierks complex.
    The meeting then shifted
    to the topic of the no-leftturn
    sign that was placed at
    the top of Murray Hill in late
    August.
    Two accidents have occurred
    in the area, so the
    sign was placed there as a
    precaution to try and prevent
    future accidents, as
    there is a blind spot in the
    left turn.
    Mounts reported that
    there have been no complaints
    from Dierks citizens
    about the sign, so the
    council agreed that the sign
    should not be moved.
    As the meeting was adjourned,
    a budget meeting
    was set for Nov. 30 at 6 p.m.
    In addition to Mounts, members
    in attendance in were:
    Sherri Edge, Debbie Brock,
    John Sharp, James Sebern,
    Roddy Smith, Carol Sharp,
    and Erin Hunter. The Dierks
    City Council meets on the
    second Monday of every
    month at 6 p.m.
    – Jonathan Canaday, with
    Southwest Arkansas Radio,
    also contributed to this story.

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