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Niles hydrant repairs are needed soon

Budget problems in Niles reach much further than payroll cuts, problems with income tax billing and the installation of new water meters that for months have sat unopened in storage.

Of course all those things are important to the taxpayers who are footing the bill, but the budget shortfalls have reached a level that is far more sinister because this problem has to do with the safety of residents.

Some 90 of the city’s 700 or so fire hydrants – nearly 13 percent – are in disrepair or out of service, and city officials acknowledge they can’t say exactly when they might be fixed or how much it will cost.

We respond: cost should not matter. Safety always should be the first priority of any governmental entity.

While firefighters responding to a fire call know the red reflective tape wrapped around dozens of Niles fire hydrants signals them to head down the street and find another water source, it’s likely many residents did not know that until the Tribune Chronicle reported the details this week.

Residents who live or work in homes near those hydrants should be very aware of the safety concern and should pressure city officials to use the funds delivered to them by the voters’ recent approval of a 0.5 percent income tax to repair or replace the hydrants.

A new hydrant costs about $2,500, plus the labor to install it.

The water department, which is understaffed and working under a tight budget according to its department head, is tasked with the job of fixing the hydrants. But he says they are limited by funds in their ability to repair the hydrants.

What may be more inexcusable is this is not a new problem. In fact, one fire captain recalled a 2014 incident involving two fire calls to the same address in which the hydrant was wrapped in the distinguishing red reflective tape. Since that time, about 80 other hydrants have been repaired.

That’s progress, but it’s not enough.

Councilman Steve Papalas, D-at large, called the situation “unbelievable,” and said he gets the impression there is no plan to take care of it.

Councilman Ryan McNaughton, D-at large, was right when he said, “All it will take is one tragedy before we are talking could’ve, should’ve, would’ve.”

Let’s not wait until that happens.

There needs to be a plan, and it needs to come soon – before it’s too late.

editorial@tribtoday.com

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