(Spencer)– The Spencer City Council this week tabled bids on proposed improvements to the city’s wastewater treatment facility. Michael Washburn, an engineer with McClure Engineering which is overseeing the project for the city, said the facility is nearly 50-years-old…
“15, 20 years from now the main processes are likely going to be outdated and not able to keep up with new regulations. So everything we’re doing now in this phase two project also ties into, you know, the 20 year plan.”
Washburn says this portion of the project would include a new final clarifier, new office and lab expansion and a new standby power system. The engineer’s estimate was $3.275 million. Only one bid was received and it came in well over that, at $3.87 million. Washburn says the higher cost can attributed to steep increases in the price of construction materials since the first of the year. He says there are some economies of scale to be considered though, adding the same contractor that submitted the bid will be doing another project in the area…
“The one bid we did receive, this contractor will also be building a wastewater treatment plant in Lake Park, Iowa. That’s another McClure project and so I’m fairly confident that their bid reflected them being in the area, completing that other project in Lake Park, you know, 20, 30 minutes away, so I think that’s another factor that should be considered.”
The council will consider the matter further at their April 5th meeting.
