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Sensmeier: Stop Throwing Away Good Money on Bad Pipes

May 04 2021Mark SensmeierJOIN OUR MAILING LIST

But here’s the thing: at times, plastic pipes can cost less to purchase than others made of more resilient materials. So, a lot of elected officials who would rather not explain higher project costs to citizens choose the cheaper path versus looking at the long-term investment. Prescott is fortunate to be served by men and women who lead with integrity; not everywhere is so fortunate, which is why efforts to actually mandate or require the use of plastic pipes in water infrastructure projects have been mounted in other states.

“Building an airplane while flying it” is a quip that many of us have heard used to describe processes or projects that move forward before much thought is put into how that it will actually function in the real world.

Of course, in building and designing airplanes we spend years understanding however the smallest changes or trade-offs in design or materials will impact how the craft will actually fly. To avoid disaster, we put the time in to ensure we answer the inevitable questions of “what if” in terms of our designs. As city leaders look at the list of infrastructure projects that need to be done over the next few years, it is similarly expected that they will be forced to ensure that experts plan and design projects that will last and stand up to challenges that may come decades from now. In doing so, local professionals should ensure that they do not sacrifice quality for dollars and cents in their designs to avoid decisions being made today that could really come back to haunt us in the long-term.

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The Daily Courier