HOISINGTON — The Hoisington City Council has granted Kansas Brick and Tile Co.’s request to install a 2-inch tap into the city’s transmission line.
During his departmental report at the Sept. 11 meeting, City Manager Jonathan Mitchell said the manufacturer had approached the city concerning a new water service connection, which in the past recently retired Public Works Director Paul Zecha had been resistant to providing.
According to Mike Kaiser, vice president of Operations at Kansas Brick and Tile, the company wants to install the 2-inch tap because it is acquiring a new piece of machinery that will require between 4,000 and 8,000 gallons every day that the new piece of equipment is in operation. The company already has two taps at this time, one for the restrooms and one for water.
“We have plenty of pressure and supply for it,” Mitchell said.
The company also asked for an industrial rate, but Mitchell said he would not support that because the company is located outside of town, and if they provide an industrial rate to Kansas Brick and Tile, the rest of the businesses on that transmission line could also request a similar arrangement.
“My feeling is I’m happy to provide the service, in the tap, but I think they should pay the same rate as anyone else outside the city limits,” he said.
The council was in agreement, and approved the request for the connection with no additional incentives.
According to Mike Kaiser the company is currently operating with 3/4-inch connections to their wells. The supply from the wells isn’t adequate for the new piece of equipment.
Kansas Brick and Tile is located 3 miles south of Hoisington on U.S. 281, and has been producing brick since 1954. Owned by Cloud Ceramics of Concordia, the plant is one of three in Kansas. They currently manufacture 30 million bricks per year from clay mined directly west of the plant.