400 water meter boxes costing $106K to be bought by Apache Junction Water District

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

A total of 400 meter boxes costing $106,000 are to be purchased for the Apache Junction Water District.

The district board, made up of Apache Junction City Council members, voted unanimously April 15 to purchase the meter boxes from Ferguson Waterworks to be used when converting to radio-read devices in the system.

The Apache Junction Water District budgeted $1.08 million for meter services as part of a Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona grant. The purchase of the meter boxes and lids using water district funds in the district’s Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget was approved by the water district board in June, Water District Director Mike Loggins wrote in a memo to the water district board.

The district requested four proposals, received two responses for the meter boxes and selected Ferguson Waterworks as the lowest price, it states in the memo.

The concrete polymer boxes are roughly 18 inches by 18 inches and are generally installed in a home’s front yard, Loggins said at the April 15 meeting.

“We received a WIFA grant roughly back in August 2024, so we’ll be out there installing radios on all of our existing meters. As we’re coming across these, we have meter boxes that these meters are in that need to be replaced,” he said. “So we’re requesting $106,000 to purchase 400 meter boxes to start this replacement process as we install these radios.”

The water district, formed by the city of Apache Junction on Aug. 2, 1994, is responsible for providing water service for a portion of the city of Apache Junction, according to www.ajwaterdistrict.org. The remaining area is served by Arizona Water Co., www.azwater.com.

Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley

rdyer@iniusa.org

Meet Richard
Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.  

Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions. 

Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.

Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.

Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.