Vote to be held on wastewater pipeline underneath Phoenix school
Jun 11, 2012, 4:51 PM
PHOENIX – After taking years of cuts, $20,000 a year could go a long way for the inner-city’s Balsz School District.
The school’s governing board could vote on whether or not they will get that money Tuesday night. If they approve the plans for a wastewater pipeline to run underneath Brunson-Lee Elementary School near 48th Street and McDowell, then they’ll get that money .
“As an inner-city district we are always looking for new funds to run the kind of programs we want said Vic Grace, president of the Balsz School District governing board. “The question is that if it is worthwhile for the community for us to do that.”
The pipeline is being built by Freescale Semiconductor. It would pump water from a nearby site where the ground water was contaminated by industrial chemicals to a water-treatment facility. It would then redistribute that treated water in to the Old Crosscut Canal west of the school.
ADEQ has already told resident in the area the plan for the pipeline is well-thought out and if the pipe were to burst there would be a good plan in place to fix the damage, but broken pipe is a big concern for the district.
“You can never tell a customer that the system will absolutely not fail,” said Grace.
Grace wouldn’t say where he stood on the matter, but that both Freescale Semiconductor and ADEQ have provided good evidence to alleviate some of his concerns. The vote will be help at 6:30 p.m. at the district’s office on 48th Street and Roosevelt.
