Mobile home park may get city water

POST FALLS - After nine months, the drinking water drought at the Arundel mobile home park may have a solution.

The Post Falls City Council on Tuesday will consider forming a local improvement district that would fund the extension of city water to the site due to lingering issues with a well that has served the park.

After receiving a "consent order" from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality to fix the problem, the park's owners, Daniel Treend and Roy Schons of the Rental Connection, requested an LID to fund the water extension to the park off McGuire Road along the Spokane River.

"This is an option to provide 50 units with good drinking water," said Terry Werner, Post Falls' public works director.

Park residents have had to either boil their water or have bottled water delivered in the interim. The park's owners have reimbursed residents for the bottled water.

Werner said the park has been in the city limits for roughly 15 years and has city sewer services.

An engineer for Rental Connection estimated the construction cost to extend the water to be $250,000. Werner said the total cost will be more with a $61,352 water capitalization fee, engineering costs and bond counsel.

With an LID, the city would pay for the cost up front by selling a bond. However, the park's owners would reimburse the city over a time to be determined.

"If we can get service to them and it's not going to cost all the other ratepayers money, why shouldn't we (form an LID)?" Werner said.

Preliminary work may prevent the project from being completed this year, however.

Werner said engineering, a permit from the Idaho Transportation Department to extend the water under Interstate 90 and an easement from a private landowner would be needed.

"There's other hurdles besides the LID," Werner said.

Neither the Rental Connection owners nor manager Brenda Evans could be reached for comment on Friday.

Park residents have said they've had water pressure and quality problems for a few years in addition to the latest episode.

• In other business, the council will hear an LED lighting energy savings report from City Administrator Eric Keck and consider extending a purchase and sales agreement with Prairie Crossing West II for 67 acres off Highway 41 for a future sports complex.

No public hearings are scheduled.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at 408 N. Spokane St.