By Martin J. Kidston
Affixing an exact price to renovations planned for the citys water treatment plant will have to wait.
Water Treatment Plant Superintendent Shelly Nolan said the plant is ready for its renovations and repairs, however, the process will have to wait until a series of events takes place.
Nolan said the bidding process on the water treatment plant will begin at 11 a.m. on Sept. 16. But just as the bidding process opens for the water plant, the First Street water main will be undergoing a series of rigorous inspections. The city hopes the inspections will be complete by Oct. 4, giving it a good idea of how much it may cost to replace the rotting water main. Only then will the city award a bid to the winning contractor for the water treatment plant.
Theyre hoping the bids come in low on the water plant, Nolan said, because if additional money is needed for the main line, theyre take it from the water plant.
The main line project has been estimated between $500,000 and $1.4 million. To cover the cost, Nolan said the city has $800,000 waiting in grants. However, if the cost exceeds the grants, Nolan said the city will have to borrow the other $600,000 from another source.
That money may come from the states revolving loan fund, Nolan said, which was allocated specifically for the water treatment plant.
They dont want to raise the rates again to cover the costs associated with these projects, Nolan said. But as far as the water main goes, they should have a couple of options there, and those options will ultimately dictate the cost of replacing that line.
The city may be crossing its fingers and hoping for good news when it comes to replacing the First Street water main. But where the water treatment plant is concerned, Nolan believes the luck will be on the citys side.
We have 11 general contractors interested in the water plant project at this time, Nolan said. We hope the competition will give us some good bids. Nothings definite until you have that final bid in hand.
