The Town of Kinder utilized its alert system on Thursday morning, February 10, to designate a water line needed to be repaired in town so residents could prepare for the possible water outage.
Mayor Wayland LaFargue said they immediately notified schools explaining they would attempt to keep the water on as long as possible. He said they were hoping they would not have to cut off the water until at the least the noon hour.
Residents were notified through the town’s alert system at 8:37 a.m. They were advised of the leak, which was near the intersection of Fourth Avenue and 14th Street.
The first alert noted, “The crew is trying to wait until noon to turn the water off but that time is not guaranteed. All homes, businesses and schools should prepare to be without water for several hours.”
At 9:32 a.m., the second alert said city workers were trying to isolate the area, but all town customers should prepare for the possible outage. By 11:18 a.m., the town notified residents the entire system had been affected and all were without water.
At 2:12 p.m., residents were notified repairs had been made, and the water was turned on for all customers. Residents were notified the town would be under a boil advisory until further notice. The town rescinded the boil advisory on Tuesday, February 15, at 11:19 a.m.
Lafargue said the town’s crew, under the leadership of Roger Shanabarger did a great job. “Chester (Braxton) taught him well,” he said. (The late Braxton worked for the town for 42 years.) “We’ve got some hard workers who are dedicated.” The mayor said Shanabarger’s crew consists of Steve Cook, Joe Mose and Tracy Wayne Johnson.
He said the town had no other option but to cut the water off to make the repairs. He said they received assistance from the Southwest Water District 2 group. He thanked Adam Sonnier, Ronald “Mann” Reeves and Alex Rogers for their assistance, which he described as valuable.
The mayor added the work crew is one man short right now. If anyone is interested in joining the crew, they are looking for someone who has experience in operating machinery.
He thanked residents for being patient.
