[Marlin Democrat] Column -- Summer time, travel time

Summer time, travel time
Nise's Notes
by Denise Schoppe

The Marlin Democrat
July 13, 2005

Ah, summer. A time of hot days, plenty of sunshine, little rain, swimsuits and many travelers. The roads are clogged with RVs, cars loaded down with luggage, and motorcylists taking advantage of the clear skies. It's vacation season!

Tomorrow I join the madness of travelers as I take a short trip out of state for a long weekend with my boyfriend. I know where I'm going, but I don't know what I'm doing.

Since I was little, summer time always meant vacation time. We rarely went very far, usually choosing to stick close to the Central Texas area. Trips to Six Flags, Schlitterbahn and Austin weren't unusual. We'd pack up our things, fill a cooler with goodies, load up the car and head out for a few days.

For me, vacation was only vacation if there was a hotel with a swimming pool. I was never a great swimmer, but I sure did love the pool. I'd spend hours in it until I was all wrinkled from the water, then there would be the dash to the room that was always way-too-cold in my wet swimsuit.

Getting older, trips changed. Summertime became just as busy with things to do as the school year was. Vacation meant one night out somewhere, usually with a secondary purpose for being there. My time in the swimming pool dwindled to the point that I think its been over two years since I took a dip in that cool water.

Now here I am about to embark in an honest-to-goodness vacation. Plane tickets in hand, I'm headed out and away from everything. I'll spend three days just enjoying doing as little as possible.

Or, atleast I think that's what is going to happen. I don't really know for sure. I have the destination, but my travel-partner is tight lipped on the details of the days. Who knows what is under his sleeve.

I'm sure all women feel my pain when it comes to packing in this situation. Three days, no idea what is going to happen, one big duffle bag to be checked at the airport... oh and it has a weight restriction... and knowledge that activities could range from just staying in relaxing to hiking through the moutains.

I've made my necessary packing list. Several times actually. How can I get the most use out of the space available to me, and yet have a wide enough range of clothes to be safe in any situation? Not to mention all the other necessities of shampoo, make-up, toothbrush, etc.

I'm up for the challenge. i've succeeded in a feat such as this before, I shall succeed again. I'm willing to bet I will over-pack, in fact.

Yes, by the time I arrive at the airport I'll have everything packed tightly, securely and carefully. I'll probably be randomly chosen for extra security checking. My navel ring will set off the metal detector for the first time ever or something. Or better yet, I'll discover in all my packing I've forgotten the most important detail: my tickets and/or driver's license. Then there is the concern of your luggage ending up in a different location.

So much that could go wrong, and yet I can't wait for the adventure. I truely enjoy flying, and I itch to get back up off the ground. I remember the first time I boarded a plane I was scared to death. Now, there are the usual fears, but over all I look forward to the trip with anticipation. I'll spend the hour and half flight staring out at the ground below.

No night flights this time, sadly, which are definitely my favorite. That's okay, though. There are rivers to see, swimming pools to pick out, stadiums to eye with curiosity of where we are.

Upon arrival, I can't wait to see my guy. Haven't seen him in over a month, and I feel like it's long overdue. Then several days spent in beautiful scenery, a different time zone, and slightly cooler temperatures.

Coming home will be nice as well. Something to definitely be said about your own bed in your own home. My parents will miss me, and maybe my cat will, too. No more living out of a suitcase, and no more worries I've forgotten something at home.

No rush, though, on that. I plan to take it one day at a time and enjoy every second of my trip. Even the ones that are long and boring during lay-overs, and even ones that could be stressful due to circumstances out of my control.

It's vacation! It's an adventure.

[Marlin Democrat] -- Water system improvements topic of Rotary meeting

Water system improvements topic of Rotary meeting

by Denise Schoppe
Staff writer

The Marlin Democrat
July 13, 2005

Two engineers from KSA Engineers addressed the Marlin Rotary Club last week to present the organization with the plans for improving the city's current water system.

Robert L. Thurber and Stephen Dorman told the members that improvements made to the Wastewater Treatment Plant, Waste Distribution System and Water Treatment Plants have been planned out and that work is projected to begin in the coming months.

Decisions on what needed to be done to improve the system were based on a 2004 study of the current system as well as demands being placed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

"TCEQ sets rules and standards that must be followed," Dorman said. "We will be focusing on getting the city into compliance with those standards."

One item being demanded by TCEQ is that the old trickling filter plant that Marlin used up to the early 90s be closed completely. Many of the structures from that plant remain today.

Improvements to the current Wastewater Treatment Plant include putting up new fences around the site, installing influent flow meters as required be TCEQ, installing new aerators and to clean sludge from the ponds at the plant to regain full capacity.

Funding for improvements to the wastewater treatment plant will come from a $250,000 grant from ORCA and from the $2,225,000 loans from Texas Water Development Board (TWDB).

Dorman then presented the Rotarians with plans for water distribution. He said the existing system has one high service pump station, two elevated storage tanks -- the Old Depot tank (200,000 gallons) and the Royal Street tank (800,000 gallons) -- and approximately 280,000 linear feet, or 53 miles, of water lines.

Improvements to the system will be to replaced existing 18" Reinforced Concrete Cylinder Pipe (RCCP) with new 18" PVC from the water treatment plant to FM 2308, create two pressure plants, install a new 500,000 gallon elevated water tank at old Tin Hat location, and replace 45,000 linear feet of water lines.

The water treatment plant's original plant was constructed in 1948.

"Today's plant has many deficiencies which include a need to improve treatment chemical storage and delivery, rehabilitate or replace filters, provide redundancy of critical components and improve the plant to current standards," Dorman said.

To do all that is needed, KSA will drudge the area next to the intake structure at the plant, repair clarifiers, modify chemical feed, replace pumps, replace filters, provide additional ground storage, construct new sludge processing units, provide emergency electric generators, rework the electrical system, install computer monitors and control instrumentation and construct a new office and lab.

"The waste water treatment plant is the most expensive part of the entire project," Dorman said.

Estimated cost of repairs and maintenance is $9,225,000.

One way KSA will improve wastewater cleaning is by use of ultra filtration membranes with provide a physical barrier to particles, whereas before there was the use of coal and sand to clean the water. Pore size in the filters is highly uniform which provides "absolute" removal of particles and microorganisms, Dorman said.

Turbidity, which refers to how clear the water is, will be improved and virus removal will be 99% with the new membrane filters. Dorman answered the question as to if the water will taste better after everything is done with a yes.

Funds for the improvements on the wastewater plant come from a 1 million dollar grant from EDA and a TWDB loan for $12.6 million which includes $1,890,000 debt forgiveness.

"There will probably be water outages as we do our work," Dorman said, "but we will keep them as brief as possible."

Dorman and Thurber stayed after the meeting to answer individual questions before they continued on with work on the system by opening bids on the replacement of the 18" waterline. Work on the project is projected to begin in the next few months.