Anna Council meets
The retirement of the police chief and a major water system project were on the agenda at last week’s regular meeting of the Anna City Council. The meeting was Tuesday evening, May 6, at Anna City Hall.
One of the items on the consent agenda for the meeting was accepting the retirement of Anna Police Chief Bryan Watkins effective May 15. Watkins has been with the city for 26 years. With Watkins’ retirement, Brent Sims is serving as acting police chief. Sims shared with the council that he was looking forward to working closely together with the Union County Sheriff’s Office and on equipment updates.
Water system improvements were the focus of discussion with engineer Richard Howell with the firm of Horner & Shifrin. The city is considering action to take related to aging cast iron water lines, some of which date to the 1930s. Lead connections which are part of the system but do not affect water safety also are a concern.
After reviewing the city’s needs, it has been determined to move forward with plans to replace the aging lines and to address the lead connections with a multi-phased project over a period of up to 20 years that will enable the city to meet EPA guidelines. The overall project is expected to cost in the range of $39 million to complete. Federal grant funding will be sought for the project. The goal is to have the first phase of the project under construction before 2027.
In a related matter, the council also discussed possible city logo designs which could be placed on two municipal water towers. One of the towers is located along Florsheim Drive. A second tower is planned in east Anna in conjunction with another major water system improvement project which is planned by the city. The project is expected to cost in the range of $10 million. After looking over and discussing the possible designs, the council decided to vote on the choice for a logo at its next meeting.
In other business at last week’s meeting:
The nation’s 250th birthday will be celebrated in 2026. Plans are being considered to mark the occasion at the city’s Independence Day celebration on July 4 of next year.