Hello All,

20+ year Hvac service tech and long time lurker here. 

City is replacing meters in my neighborhood. Attempts to ignore their demands to set up an appointment have resulted in threats to turn off the water. 

The problem, the main shut off has me living in fear. Last time I touched it resulted in installing a stop downstream of meter. In hindsight upstream would’ve been better. It is 3/4 coming in with 5/8 meter reduced to 1/2 for the house. Unfortunately 1/2 stop was all I had on hand. Had to crank the bonnet with a lot of torque to stop the slow drip. 

The reason for this post is to tap into this communities experience and expertise. 
First, Removing the cap from the curb stop. Tried prying it off and also spinning counterclockwise. It did not budge. I did not apply much force, not being familiar with it. 
Second, I am thinking of abandoning the main in place and installing a stop immediately after. I chipped away some of the mortar and paint off the existing. It was installed too close to the block for my comfort to attempt replacement. 

Any and all advice would be appreciated even if I feel stupid by missing something obvious. In my defense, if this plumbing carried refrigerant instead of water it would’ve been done years ago. 

Curb stop and Main