Grant Providing $1.3 Million In Water Meter Upgrades For Century

May 23, 2023

The Town of Century will receive just $1.3 million for new water meters and associated upgrades through a grant awarded to Escambia County.

The $1,301,892 from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Grant  will be used to replace all of Century’s approximately 825 existing commercial and residential water meters, moving from a manual read system to a radio reporting system.

The existing meters were installed as a radio read system in 2011, but the system has long since failed and the meters are read manually each month.

The new water meters will be automated, which will allow the town to read them in batches while driving through the water system franchise area. The project will also include the new software, hardware and staff training.

The project will include replacement of all commercial and residential water service lines from the main to the customer connection. This includes connection to the water main, new service lines under the road (if required), and replacement of the meter box and all its contents including a new water meter.

Through an interlocal agreement, the county will use the state grant to reimburse Century for the project.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Comments

12 Responses to “Grant Providing $1.3 Million In Water Meter Upgrades For Century”

  1. Connie on May 24th, 2023 5:01 pm

    I am not sure as to why the meters would be read in batches, the utility I am at have 13,000 meters that we read by radio read and it takes a day and a half for us to read all. Billing is easy with radio reads and has a really fast turn around time. I hope the training they receive will help them to improve on time management.

  2. JJ on May 24th, 2023 1:27 pm

    Instead of grant money, have state get bids and pay the winning bid directly

  3. Stumpknocker on May 24th, 2023 2:39 am

    If it wasn’t for grant money from tax payers, Century wouldn’t even exist, if a city town can’t even come close to support itself, it’s time to close it down.

  4. Jr on May 23rd, 2023 11:09 pm

    Century needs a water well before it needs meters

  5. BIG JOHN on May 23rd, 2023 7:57 pm

    MORE MONEY DOWN A RAT HOLE, THATS NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING, BUT PUT SOME MORE MONEY IN SOMEONE POCKET !!!!!!

  6. Swamp Gas on May 23rd, 2023 2:48 pm

    I believe the persons who is writing all of these grants needs to be in charge of the town and not the current leaders.

  7. Chris on May 23rd, 2023 2:42 pm

    For a town that didn’t know where their water main was located under Cenrury Blvd, they have no problem finding handout after handout.

  8. RaD on May 23rd, 2023 9:28 am

    @Jason….exactly!

  9. jerry on May 23rd, 2023 9:05 am

    Century will just waste the money and then wonder where it went.

  10. Tax Payer at Large on May 23rd, 2023 7:38 am

    The way Century’s history reflects…. that upgrades to four accounts

  11. Frank on May 23rd, 2023 6:52 am

    Praise the Lord; something good happening in this area. With the Florida growth, these upgrades can assure that everyone is paying and the town can make a positive move for the future for our kids and grandchildren. I know it’s had its issues but it can turn around. Come on Century!

  12. Jason on May 23rd, 2023 1:29 am

    More “free money” from the free money tree — aka the Florida taxpayers — subsidizing an enterprise account that should be generating the necessary revenues for maintenance of the system.