At their next regular meeting, town leaders are expected to discuss a needed upgrade at the Mancos water dock.
"It's been a problem for years," said town administrator Andrea Phillips.
Last week, area resident Joe Daulton was irate about the lack of adequate service at the water dock. He retrieves water from the town's dock four times a week.
"This is my only source of water," said Daulton.
Daulton's greatest gripe was the water dock's antiquated payment device. He said the coin machine, designed to only accept quarters, routinely jams.
"It's ridiculous," he said. "We need a payment device on this water dock that was built in this century."
Daulton said he was also upset that town officials failed to regularly service the water dock, claiming the payment device routinely fills with quarters, which keeps others from being able to obtain water.
"It's irresponsible for the city not to get their money," said Daulton.
Last Friday, after waiting in line for an hour to fill his 325-gallon water tank for $5, Daulton said he became so frustrated that he went to Town Hall and proposed paying up to $10,000 out of his own pocket to update the water dock.
"Yes, I offered to pay $10,000 for a new machine," Daulton confirmed.
In response, Phillips said officials were dispatched about two times a month to unjam the payment device. In the past, the machine has been jammed with everything from Canadian quarters to cardboard, Phillips said.
"I understand Mr. Daulton's frustration," said Phillips. "It has to be frustrating to make a long drive only to find the machine jammed."
Phillips said officials were currently reviewing possible upgrades, including card reader technology.
The next meeting for the Mancos town board is Wednesday, Sept. 23.
