News

Council OKs agreement for water tank land

By Bill Moss, Published: June 11, 2014

The Hendersonville City Council last week authorized the city staff to complete the purchase of property in Etowah for a half-million-gallon water tank that is part of a service upgrade in the community.

The council emerged from a closed session on Thursday and voted to allow City Manager John Connet to buy out a life estate on the property that the homeowners had maintained after selling the property to the city.
"It's a piece of property in Etowah that we had bought a number of years ago at a discounted price," Connet said. "It had a life estate on it (allowing the owners to stay on the land) and we are going to buy the rights from the lady for $50,000."
The city will pay Doris A. Morgan $50,000 under the agreement. Mrs. Morgan's husband died and she plans to relocate to Texas.
The water tank project is part of a water system upgrade in the Etowah area. It is scheduled to be bid in the 2014-15 budget year, although the work could extend into the next fiscal year, Connet said.
"It will allow us to provide better water service and fire protection in the Etowah area," he said. The water tank at the 3.23-acre on Little Mountain near Etowah Lions Park will result in increased water pressure and allow the utilities department to eliminate three pump stations. It will also provide a backup source of water for hundreds of Etowah-Horse Shoe customers in case the water main leading to the community is temporarily down, said Utilities Director Lee Smith.