Martinsville City Council members will talk water infrastructure at their Tuesday meeting, 6 p.m., at the New College Institute’s Gardner Board Room.
The council will learn more about the city’s water-related assets via a presentation by Dewberry Engineers, the firm hired to gauge the city’s infrastructure.
“Dewberry Engineers assessed the current condition of the Martinsville water system’s assets and developed an asset management plan aimed at optimizing the system’s entire lifecycle while ensuring efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable management of physical assets, including infrastructure, equipment, and facilities,” reads information from the city.
According to officials, the city’s infrastructure is aging.
“These assets are now 45-105 years old,” reads information from the city. “The typical service life for most water and sewer assets is 30-110 years.”
The plan will offer strategies for upgrading and maintaining the system as the city works toward eventually updating it piecemeal. Part of the strategy entails applying for grants and loans.
“A separate presentation will follow if funding applications are approved prior to accepting any awarded funding,” reads information from the city.
The city council will also move forward with its pending school board appointment to replace Mike Williamson, whose term expires at the end of the month.
The meeting will kick off the appointment process for one new board member whose term will last for three years. Appointees to Martinsville’s school board can serve a maximum of three terms.
While elections determine membership for boards like Henry County’s, the Martinsville City Council appoints members to Martinsville’s board. This is based on regulations put forth by the Code of Virginia.
“Each school board shall be appointed by the governing body of the county, city or town — unless a different method of selection is provided by general law or special act,” reads part of the code.
A public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, in which council members will receive candidate names for prospective board members.
Citizens who are interested in serving on the board are encouraged to submit their names to the clerk prior to the meetings. Those who failed to meet this deadline may still submit their names at Tuesday’s public hearing.
