By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
A mistake in the engineering of upgrades to the Water Resource Recovery Facility led to a major flooding issue at that facility during a recent rainstorm.
According to Fiscal Officer Holden Benfield – speaking to the Swanton Village Council during their meeting Monday evening, the mistaken placement of a manhole in the design placed it seven feet lower than the height of the lagoon in the basement of the building.
During the storm, the lagoon filled as intended, which created a circular backflow through the manhole which caused erosion of a large section of the lagoon wall and under concrete.
The failure caused a flood of the facility basement five feet high, submerging a large amount of equipment which Benfield said is rated to be able to be submerged without a problem.
There was still a concern, however, regarding the effects of grit in that water, which left a roughly 6-inch layer of sand on the basement floor.
Benfield said WRRF Superintendent Joe Tillison was told by Buckeye Pumps that the constant running of the submerged pumps and the grit content in the water they were pumping likely reduced their life expectancy by 75 percent.
He went on to say the issue is likely the liability of engineering firm Fishbeck, while stopping short of making any explicit declarations. An emergency concrete pillar was installed to correct the issue in the short term.
“Superintendent Tillison has I think quite literally around 3,000 images of the construction of the plant over time, so he more than definitely has images of when it was clean and the basement was not covered in sand and the lagoon wall was fine, so we have more than enough documentation should we need to go to insurance for anything, should anything happen to Fishbeck.”
“Should anything like that be necessary, we have more than enough documentation to cover ourselves. But this was a significant event.”
Tillison is expected to give a more detailed report on the issue at the council’s next meeting.
LOCAL MAN SAVED
The council presented a certificate for life saving to a police officer and five fire department personnel after the sextet saved the life of Jeff Lambert, a community member and 35-year State Farm agent whose office is located in Swanton.
Police and fire were dispatched on February 7 to Swanton Middle School for an unresponsive male, where Sgt. Bradley Cash found Lambert on the floor. Cash turned him over, checked for a pulse – which he didn’t find – and began administering CPR.
He continued performing CPR until Swanton Fire and Rescue Division personnel Lt. Sean Griewahn, Anevay Emerson, Ashley Leach, Jamie Blake, and Eric Leonard arrived and continued CPR and used an automatic electronic defibrillator until Lambert’s pulse restarted.
While all six received certificates, Cash was also given a pin for life saving to wear on his uniform. Lambert and his wife were at the meeting to show their thanks to the people who saved his life.
“I would actually like to thank everybody that was there assisting, because without your quick response, and your efforts I probably wouldn’t be here today,” Lambert said, adding “I was very fortunate.”
He also said he was lucky to be in Swanton when it happened, citing their fast response times. In addition, he noted that if he had been at home he could have been at the opposite end of the house from his wife, who may not have found him and called 911 to get a response in time.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Following the surprise resignation of new Deputy Fire Chief Barrett Dorner last month, the council voted to hire a new full-time captain instead of rehiring for his position. The captain will, at the operational level, focus on training as well as health and safety of staff.
The position is expected to pay roughly $8,000 less per year than the deputy fire chief position, providing a savings to the village.
Kepling also reported that his department responded to 96 EMS calls and 22 fire calls for a total of 118 calls for service during March, and that promotional testing for lieutenants has begun for the four applicants for that position.
OTHER BUSINESS
The council approved on an emergency basis a contract for construction of Munson Road improvements to Salenbien Trucking & Excavating, Inc. at a cost of just under $1.19 million.
The council approved on first reading ordinances setting leaf collection fees at $15 per property owner and street lighting fees at $32 per property owner. Neither fee changed from 2024.
The council approved the hiring of Jacqueline Steel as a full-time operator in training for the Water Resource Recovery Facility at an hourly rate of $22.50.
Mayor Neil Toeppe read a proclamation declaring April as Child Abuse Awareness Month in Swanton. He read a second proclamation recognizing the importance of Arbor Day, April 25.
The next regular meeting of the Swanton Village Council will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 28 at 219 Chestnut Street.