Gate City: PSA water proposal still in works

GATE CITY – A proposal to turn Gate City's water and wastewater systems over to the Scott County Public Service Authority is still under development.The proposal, which could add the town's water and sewer systems and customer base to the PSA's network of approximately 13,000 water and 5,000 wastewater customers, appeared on an early version of council's November agenda, was a topic during the council's closed session Tuesday, Town Attorney Michele Brooks said.Brooks said details remain to be worked out before a draft is presented to the PSA board of directors.The town and PSA have been at legal odds since November 2023, when the authority sued over a town-installed shutoff valve at the Moccasin Gap master valve. That valve, when closed, restricted the authority's ability to transport water through town lines per a 2016 agreement between the two parties.A court-ordered injunction in December 2023 forced the town to keep open the shutoff valve.Gate City Town Council Member Pat Elliot said before the November council meeting that the proposed system transfer arose from concerns about the operating costs and funding smaller water systems in general across Virginia along with efficiency in consolidating with a larger system.Council was still in closed session at press time Tuesday.Water Street Park updatesTown Manager Greg Jones told council during his December report that he and representatives of contractor Quesenberry's Inc. and design firm Spectrum Designs on Dec. 4 and identified a change to double the number of pickleball courts in the $500,000 Phase I project to four.The meeting found another way to save project costs, said Jones: leaving intact an existing asphalt section slated for demolition for a planned stage structure in a future phase. He said that section could serve as a parking area for food trucks during events at the park.Quesenberry's will inspect the asphalt section for suitability, Jones added.Jones said he planned a Dec. 19 field trip for council; members to tour pickleball courts in the area to get a better concept of the courts. The proposed change could allow conversion of the Water Street the four-court space into two tennis courts if council decided.DonationsCouncil voted 6-0 to donate $2,000 to Hope House of Scott County. The shelter, which houses victims of domestic abuse and violence, had requested $1,000 in town support, but Council member Michele Rusek moved to double that amount.Council members agreed verbally to provide $1,885 to the Scott County Community Garden. Carol Dixon, garden coordinator, told council that $4,485 was needed to renovate the site's 47 raised garden beds with new soil and timber replacement. The Scott County Board of Supervisors and the First Presbyterian Church in Gate City have committed $2,000 and $1,000, respectively, to the project, said Dixon.The garden vote was scheduled for after the closed session.