Gainesville School Board decides to drill well to supply water for new ballfield irrigation
Construction is underway at the Gainesville School new sports complex, which will be located across the street from the high school on a portion of the former Gainesville city airport property. The school acquired the land in 2022 in a land swap with the city. In exchange for the main portion of the former airport property, the city received ownership of the land where the Hoerman Memorial Park, a Gainesville city park, is located.
During a closed session portion of the regular Gainesville School Board meeting Aug. 14, board members decided that the school will drill a well to feed a planned irrigation system on the new baseball and softball fields that are being built on the school campus. The discussion occurred during closed session due to the nature of the issue which involved discussion between the district and its attorneys, a school official said.
“At the meeting, the board discussed multiple options for gaining access to water for the purpose of irrigating the new baseball/softball complex currently under construction across from the high school,” a written statement from the board provided to the Times said. “The board unanimously decided that drilling a well on the property was not only in the best long-term interest of the district financially but also in the best interest of its neighbors.”
Gainesville School Board President Marti Warden added that, “One concern we have about tapping into the city’s water is that it could potentially tax the system, and we do not want the new athletic complex to be a burden on the city or its customers. This is a very exciting project for the students of Gainesville R-V and for the community. We look forward to its completion next year.”
The topic was discussed at the Aug. 8 Gainesville city council meeting prior to the school board meeting. Gainesville Superintendent Justin Gilmore attended the meeting and brought up the proposition of drilling the well and how it would be affected by a city ordinance passed by the city in 1970 when the city’s water and sewer systems were combined and made the responsibility of the city. The ordinance is pictured above.
Gilmore mentioned at the meeting that the ordinance uses the term “potable water,” and the well the school is proposing would not be providing drinking water (all water and sewer at the school and the proposed fields’ concession stands are linked into the city’s system), and instead the well would only provide water to irrigate the grass on the ballfields. The school’s attorney also weighed in on the matter.
“The school’s legal counsel reviewed the ordinance and advised the board that it specifically refers to potable water. The school has no intentions of using the well for drinking water. It will strictly be used for irrigating the fields. Any drinking water on the property will be provided by the city; therefore, the Board does not believe it is in violation of the city’s ordinance. Futhermore, there is already a well on the property. The board considered utilizing the existing well, but because of its age, size and needed repairs, it is not suitable to meet the irrigation demands and would require several thousand dollars to retrofit. The Board decided that a new well would be the most economical long-term solution for the district.”
The Times contacted the Gainesville City Council about the matter on Monday. They submitted this statement in reference to the comment about the city’s water system and its ability to provide the water needed:
“During the August 8, 2023, Regular Session meeting Justin Gilmore voiced his concern that using the city’s water for irrigation would be too taxing for the city’s water supply. That concern was addressed by Jessi Price, water specialist, who said the well that would be drawn from was capable of meeting the irrigation system’s needs. That well has the capability of pumping 375 gallons per minute and is stored in a 100,000-gallon standpipe.
Price also addressed the use of treated water for irrigation, explaining the treatment of the water is so slight and dissipation would happen quickly, therefore should not be a problem for the grounds being watered.”
The city council also commented on the interpretation of the ordinance:
“The city council stands by the ordinance in place pertaining to the drilling of wells within city limits. It is our view and the view of the legal counsel that the ordinance restricts the drilling of wells inside city limits regardless of use. In lieu of a variance being granted, the city council did vote to absorb 50 percent of the cost to bore under the city street to provide water to the baseball/softball complex area,” the statement said.
Gilmore says he and the board wish the city would reconsider and grant a variance.
“We understand the city is reluctant to make an exception because they don’t want to set a precedent going forward,” he said. “But our request is unique. There is only one school district within the city limits. Making an exception for the school in this situation would not set a precedent. We would really like for this to be a partnership between the school and the city, not a dispute.”
The new baseball and softball fields that are being built across from the high school in a section of the former Gainesville City Airport that the school acquired from the city of Gainesville in a land swap. The fields are scheduled to be seeded Oct. 1, Gilmore said, meaning the irrigation needs to be installed soon.