Marshfield board approves wastewater plant HVAC control upgrade, service contracts and pump maintenance program

The Marshfield Board of Public Works on Sept. 2 approved three separate contracts intended to modernize and maintain equipment at the city's wastewater treatment facilities.

The board voted to replace the HVAC controls at the Wastewater Plant administrative building, approve a one-year HVAC service agreement for plant equipment, and authorize a three-year preventative maintenance agreement for submersible pumps and mixers.

The HVAC control replacement at the administrative building will integrate the plant with the city's existing Desigo building-management software and carries a price of $20,457. Mark Hart, Wastewater Treatment Superintendent, said the plant's existing system is "25 old, outdated, and needs to be replaced," and that prior failures included "a frozen water line and room flooding event in 2024." Hart told the board the integration would spread the city's software cost across more buildings, reducing each department's share by about $175 per year.

Why it matters: the work is intended to reduce equipment failures at the wastewater facility and align the plant with the city's centralized HVAC controls; the package will be paid from the sewer ratepayers fund (Fund 601), Hart said.

On the same agenda the board approved a one-year HVAC service agreement with Complete Control Incorporated for $6,749. Two companies submitted proposals: Complete Control at $6,749 and Bassett Mechanical at $9,348. Board members discussed the higher price from Bassett, which included an online customer portal that Complete Control's proposal did not provide in a web-viewable format. Board members said the portal did not justify the roughly 50% higher price and approved the lower bid.

The board also approved a three-year preventative maintenance agreement with Xylem Water Solutions for equipment branded "Flyght," covering 11 pumps and eight mixers. The agreement locks an annual cost of $6,107. Hart said the discount on Flyght parts included in the program often offsets much of the service cost. When asked about replacement costs, a board member was told that 150-horsepower pumps currently cost about $100,000 each and smaller five-horsepower pumps are in the neighborhood of $10,000.

Board members raised one procedural concern: whether a multi-year agreement with a single vendor could limit future competitive bidding. A board member noted the city's $25,000 threshold for formal bidding and asked whether committing to a vendor now could complicate future solicitations. Staff answered that the agreement represents current value and that the city could evaluate procurement strategy in future cycles.

All three motions carried by voice vote. Minutes and the staff memos in the agenda packet list the firms and prices as: HVAC controls and Desigo integration with Complete Control Incorporated, $20,457; one-year HVAC service agreement with Complete Control, $6,749; three-year Flyght pump maintenance with Xylem Water Solutions, $6,107 per year.

The approvals were presented by Mark Hart, Wastewater Treatment Superintendent, and the board recorded no roll-call tallies in the meeting transcript; the motions passed by unanimous voice vote.

Looking ahead: staff indicated integration with the city's Desigo system will occur under the existing city software maintenance agreement that runs through August 2027 and that the city will track and bill utility-specific design costs and service allocations where appropriate.