Improvements at Golden Meadows in the works

A 50-year-old water tank system at Golden Meadows Home will be replaced soon, ending a problem that has been getting worse over the years.

The Adams County commissioners voted 3-0 on May 10 to hire Patriot Water Solutions of Portland $4,800 to replace a a375-gallon atmospheric pressure tank and add a control box.

It was explained at the meeting that the water level gets too high and water backwashes into the air compressor and also that sometimes there’s no water pressure. The new system will provide constant water pressure.

The work will only require water at the home to be shut off for one hour.

While the price quotation was $ 4,800, commissioner Rex Moore and Golden Meadows superintendent Mark Blankenship agreed that extra wiring will raise that cost a bit.

In a related matter, Blankenship said drilling a new well will be done later or “down the road,” as he said. To do that, he stated, would require pouring a concrete pad and building a small structure to be the pumphouse.

Blankenship also said he has a price quote for $6,500 to replace five large windows, adding that replacing windows in the old building is a regular task.

Furthermore, he estimated it will take more than $2,000 to replace some of the window-mounted air conditioners, a few of which are “undersized,” such as the one in the kitchen.

Finally, he announced that Golden Meadows has 24 residents: 15 men and nine women, with one man added a few days before.