Thursday, April 19, 2007

Water plant bids opened by Valley Falls officials

by Clarke Davis

Bids for the second construction phase of water plant improvements were opened at the Valley Falls city council meeting Monday night.

Five companies presented bids that will be taken under advisement. The contract is expected to be awarded at the May 7 meeting.

The companies and the base bids were: Midland Construction Inc., Topeka, $450,500; Kearney & Son, Valley Falls, $492,655; Kelley Construction, Topeka, $615,000; Irvinbilt Co., Chillicothe, Mo.. $719,000; and Industrial and Commercial Contractors, Kansas City, Mo., $727,924.

The base bid was followed by a number of add-ons that may or may not be accepted depending on the availability of funds. These included a small building, a dehumidifier, a transfer switch, an electric breaker. These items could add $25,000 to $50,000 depending on the bidder.

A price to dredge the city’s settling pond was also requested with this bid ranging from $60,000 to $99,000.

Two representatives of Larkin Group, the city’s engineering firm from Kansas City, Mo., were present for the bid opening. They will review the bids, which must also be approved by the state Department of Health and Environment.

The city has $681,000 to spend on this phase of the project, of which half is a grant and half is a loan. The work at the plant is being done to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s increased water quality standards for surface water. The city takes its water from the Delaware River.

A Larkin Group engineer said once a company has been awarded the contract a preconstruction meeting will be scheduled. He predicated construction could be under way within two months.

Mayor Bob Zieg presided with Susan Grey, James Clulo, Terry Sullivan, and James Durand present. Roz Jackson was absent.

Also attending the meeting were council members-elect Tony Trower, Mark Boyce, and Paul Burns. They will become voting members May 7 as Sullivan, Clulo, and Grey take their leave.

Bill Metzger attended the meeting to discuss the sewer line that feeds the industrial tract his company owns at the south edge of the city.

A building is now under construction to house a truck repair shop and parts department with future expansion to include a truck wash. The sewer line that once served a depot had been damaged following a collision between a propane truck and a train in 1986.

The line was severed apparently by a bulldozer working to clear debris following the accident. The city investigated the problem at a cost of about $1,000 to find the line, make sure is was workable, and determine what the next course would be. The 8-inch line was said to be in good shape.

The council voted 3-1 to pay the additional cost of $3,500 to repair the additional 12 feet or more of sewer line and put in a new manhole. It was Grey who said the city had to be aggressive — “pro-active” — in helping this new business get established, while the more conservative idea was to offer to split the cost with Metzger, which might have been Durand’s idea when he cast the one opposing vote.

Grey said the money will soon be returned in the form of taxes on the commercial property.

“Thanks for investing in the community,” Grey told Metzger as he left the meeting.

In other business, the council:

• The council signed the newly formed Margaret Frakes Subdivision plat, a four-lot piece of land on Oak Street south of Steve’s Thriftway. The subdivision had been approved by the city planning commission.

• Approved a mayor’s proclamation declaring April 27 as Arbor Day. Administrator Bret Frakes said the Vernon Barrow family wanted to donate a red oak tree as a memorial to Mr. Barrow. The tree will be planted in the city park on Arbor Day.

• Police Chief Tammy Gross reported that she and officer Mark Isenberg had new packets of Royals baseball cards to give to children in the community who asked for them.

• Tabled approval of a policy covering requests to view police video tape now present on both city police cars.

• Reviewed financial statements presented by Frakes showing a total balance of all funds on hand to be $571,514 with $485,600 invested in certificates of deposit.