Failed water pump motor cause of Forest Hill High School shift to virtual learning this week
The latest in a long list of water problems affecting Forest Hill High School in southwest Jackson is the result of a failed water pump motor, members of the Jackson City Council were told Tuesday.
Due to a lack of sufficient water pressure, the school has been forced to shift to virtual learning at the campus according to a release issued by the Jackson Public School District this week. It is one of many such notices affecting the school in recent years.
City engineer Robert Lee said the motor failed at a city-owned well located off Mississippi 18 at Maddox Road, approximately 1 mile north of Forest Hill. The motor failure disabled the pump which led to decreased water levels in the adjacent water tower. “When the well went down the tank went down,” Lee said. He described the well as one of the larger ones designed to serve that area.
While there are other wells in the vicinity, Mayor Chokwe Lumumba said the failure of just one can cause widespread problems. “When one well goes out it causes a ripple effect,” he said.
Lee said some other businesses and homes were also affected by reduced water pressure, including the studios of WAPT Channel 16. But Lumumba said the excessive number of problems experienced at Forest Hill leads him to believe there may also be some problems unique to that campus water delivery system.
“There appears to be something specific to the Forest Hill building that we have to figure out,” Lumumba said, He described the reduced water pressure as likely the result of a combination of problems including possible back flow issues at the site.
The school, which is located at 2607 Raymond Road, serves approximately 1,000 students. It was originally established as a rural Hinds County school in the 1800s and was annexed by the City of Jackson in 1976. The current facility consists of a modern $11 million dollar academic and athletic complex situated on 47 acres.
An exact timetable on when the pump will be repaired was not immediately available, though city officials said work is already in progress.
Only parts of Byram and southwest Jackson are served by the well system. The reminder of the city receives treated surface water from the O. B. Curtis water treatment plant (completed in the 1980s near the reservoir) and the much older J. H. Fewell plant on the Pearl River near Belhaven.
The city has issued an “RFP” or Request for Proposals for a third party management company to assume operations of the two surface water treatment plants. Officials said prospective management teams interested in securing that contract will begin touring the plants this week.
Lumumba said that on the advice of the federal Environmental Protection Agency and representatives of the local and state Unified Command created to address the city’s water crisis, Jackson will also be working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a hydraulic model and valve plan to study and better understand how water is distributed throughout Jackson.
Roughly half of the $2.3 million study will be funded by the Corps with matching funding from the city under the federal Water Resources Development Act. Lumumba said he hopes that will lead to a permanent solution to persistent water pressure issues.
“Everyone we have talked with felt a hydraulic model is critical,” Lumumba said.
Council members approved authorization of the study 6-0 with Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes absent.
In other Jackson City Council news:
Council members unanimously confirmed Mayor Lumumba’s appointment of Dr. Muriel Reid to serve as the city’s new Director of Information Technology. Several members praised Reid’s work since being installed as Interim Director of the department earlier this year. The type of data collection Reid is involved with is “extremely important to our planning efforts,” said Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley.
The council approved a proposal by MS Tire Recycling LLC for the collection and disposal of waste vehicle tires. Officials hope the contract will help reduce illegal dumping of old tires along city streets. Council President Ashby Foote of Ward 1 suggested that rather than charging a nominal amount for tire disposal at the city landfill, Jackson might consider offering a financial incentive in the amount of $1 per tire for citizens to bring in old tires. “The free market can do some amazing stuff,” Foote said. Ward 6 Councilman Aaron Banks said he likes that idea but would prefer to find business partners in the community to fund the program rather than pay the collection fees from city funds.
The council has authorized the city to apply for a National Park Service Grant in the amount of up to $750,000 to support renovations to City Hall. The structure was originally built by slave labor using handmade bricks during 1846-47. Chloe Dotson, Interim Director of the city’s Department of Planning and Development recommended the application as worthwhile, noting that the Park Service “has a crucial role in preserving the history of the people of America.”
At the request of Ward 4 Councilman Brian Grizzell Jackson Parks Director Ison Harris was asked to provide an update on renovation of the long closed Grove Park Golf Course near the former Lake Hico site. Harris said equipment and employee shortages have delayed reopening plans but that he hopes to have the 9-hole course ready for operation by the end of the year. He said the clubhouse is now ready for use by community groups in need of meeting space. In a related question Grizell asked where the city stands in efforts to reopen a railroad underpass that formerly connected the park and golf course to Livingston Road. City attorneys responded that the issue remains in litigation between the city and Canadian National Railway, which owns the tracks, and that they will try to provide an update by the next meeting.
Noting that the increased water demand caused by Jackson State University’s Homecoming game last weekend presented challenges to the city’s water system, Lumumba has called for a voluntary effort to conserve water during this weekend’s home football game. “If you are in a position to be mindful of your usage of water please do so,” Lumumba said.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Forest Hill High School shifted to virtual due to low water pressure
