Toccoa Undertaking Bare Steel Gas Line Replacement Project

The city of Toccoa is about to undertake its final major bare steel gas line replacement project.

For the past several years, the city has gradually been replacing aging bare steel gas lines that are underground throughout the system.

At their meeting on Monday, city commissioners took a look at the latest proposed bare steel replacement project.

Toccoa City Manager Billy Morse said that this next section is ready for replacement and represents a substantial project.

“We are calling it the Broad Street area, but it does incorporate 27 streets and six miles,” said Morse. “It is estimated to be about a two-year project.”

Morse went on to say that finishing this project would in reality be the end of the city’s bare steel replacement effort.

“We do have one more section of pipeline that is not bare steel, but is lightly coated, so we would like to replace it as well, but for all practical purposes, this will conclude our bare steel replacement project,” said Morse.

Toccoa City Commissioners approved the project unanimously.

Morse said the next step is for the project to go out to bid.

A bid opening is scheduled for May 22.

According to Morse, city crews will assist with labor on the project where possible in an effort to keep costs down as much as possible.

Funding for the project is coming from a portion of user fees that are budgeted for this purpose each year.

In other action from Monday’s meeting, the Toccoa City Commission unanimously approved re-appointments to two different boards.

Billie Thompson and Suzy Bellamy were re-appointed to the Toccoa Planning Commission and Kay Smith and Ray Cornell were re-appointed to the city’s Alcohol Beverage Control Board.