Dodge City to upgrade water system

    The Dodge City Commission approved $217,205.22 for water system upgrades during a brief 15-minute meeting Monday evening.
    With very little discussion, three commissioners approved the various bids, including a new laptop and wireless water meters. Mayor Kent Smoll, Vice Mayor Rick Sowers and City Manager Ken Strobel were in Topeka attending a hearing with the Kansas Lottery Commission regarding state-owned casinos.
    Mike Klein, superintendent of public works for Dodge City, told the commissioners that the purchases, made with four different bidders for different items, were part of the city's annual restocking of supplies.
    Commissioner Monte Broeckelman asked Klein how much more effective the wireless meters were compared to some of the older, manual-read meters. Klein told Broeckelman that a route with about 1,200 water meters would take between four and five days for manual reads.
    "We can now do that in one day," Klein said.
    Klein said each meter has a life of roughly seven to 10 years, which means the city routinely works at replacing old manual-read meters while replacing older radio transmitting meters.
    The city currently has about 4,051 meters which are still manual-read.
    The laptop used to read the meters was also quickly going on the fritz, Klein said.
    Commissioners Broeckelman, Jim Sherer and Brian Weber all approved the purchases.

Reach Mark Vierthaler at (620) 408-9932 or e-mail him at mark.vierthaler@dodgeglobe.com.