ST. MARTIN PARISH — The Village of Parks is taking a major step toward improving its water system, aiming to provide residents with cleaner, more reliable service for years to come.
Set to be built next to the village's water tower, Mayor Kevin Kately says the new well site was chosen after extensive testing. “We did a test — when we did the water test, it was one of the best locations to where we don’t have to put that much chemicals, so this was one of the spots that was chosen,” Kately said.
The village is moving forward with plans to construct a new water well, part of a multi-million-dollar effort to strengthen the local water system. Engineers have already submitted plans to the state, and Kately says the village is waiting on final paperwork before breaking ground.
“So that’s gonna allow us to put more people on our system, and even during the rough times, you know, we can pump more water a lot quicker, a lot faster — and that’s what it’s all about, is helping the customer,” Kately said.
Right now, the Village of Parks operates four wells — one large and three smaller ones. The new addition would help the system handle future growth while addressing ongoing issues like low water pressure and discoloration.
“We have to be concerned about the people that’s on the water system now. If we keep adding subdivisions, all it’s gonna do is lower the water pressure — so we put that on pause. But now that we put the well, we’ll be able to do that,” Kately said.
The village is also upgrading water meters across five sectors, covering about 1,000 customers at a time. Work began three months ago, and crews are fine-tuning the new system as installation continues.
“This is the little device that’s gonna let you know — instead of the meter reader coming and reading it one by one, she can just pass right by, and it’s gonna pick up the amount of water that you use within that month,” Kately said.
Residents say these upgrades are a needed and welcome change. Kately says phasing the work and using grant funding allows the village to complete the improvements without passing additional costs onto customers.
“We’re gonna apply that to the new well, and then we’re gonna take our savings and put the rest of the money in to get our new well done,” he said.
Kately says engineers have finalized bids and designs, and the village could see construction begin as early as January.
