By JACKIE TAYLOR | January 21, 2026

Building and system in disrepair

By JACKIE TAYLOR

Linn County News

Jackielcn1@gmail.com

The Pleasanton Council met Tuesday night in regular session and moved the meeting to the water plant so the council could tour the building. The tour occurred after insurance adjustor Travis Needham was asked to look at the roof for possible replacement.

Needham’s initial report described damage to the building including sinking of the center post in the building. He reported that “overall the structure itself is in poor condition. Various cracks observed in the walls. One wall appears to have been pushed out slightly due to pressure from the roof. Due to age, I would not recommend replacement of the roof.”

His report continued that the entire roof would need to be removed – everything from the walls up. Further, “plumbing and electrical will have to be rerouted and temporary covering over the water tanks.”

A second follow-up email from Needham to Pleasanton City Administrator Becky Hegwald on January 17 stated that “to make the proper repairs, the entire roof structure will need to be removed from the walls up. This will include a plumber and electrician to remove all of the wiring and plumbing which runs across the ceiling. Ceiling will also need to be removed and replaced. To complete this task, the water department will need to be shut down for this time as it would be impossible to keep from getting debris in the water.

“The center post which holds the beam up, running across the ceiling, has rotted from the bottom allowing the beam to drop at least 8-inches. This post and beam will also need to be replaced. Due to the post rotting off and beam bowing, the concrete block walls on east and west ends of the building have pushed outward. These walls will also need to be repaired or replaced.

Councilman Kenny Stark earlier walked the water plant and gave a report of damage he viewed that included broken roof trusses “caused by neglect and lack of maintenance to the building in whole,” and stated, “It is my fear that if we get a heavy, wet snow, the roof will collapse.”

Further he reported cotton-lined wires that are outdated and taped without explosion-proof boxes or junction boxes, interior lighting that is inoperable hence flood-lights employees have set up to see to do reports, rooted post beam that is shifting, main beam sagging five inches or more, exterior block walls that have shifted outwards, dirty filter tanks that need new plumbing, East Lake shutoff valves are broken.

Stark concluded, “I am confident that there is a better option (costwise) to provide clean water to Pleasanton; we can’t keep throwing money at a treatment plant with the hopes of it getting better or solving itself.”