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Council awards $7.54M water reclamation filter upgrade tied to SB 64 and approves emergency parts purchase
Summary
Council awarded a $7,541,270 contract for filter upgrades at the water reclamation facility to meet reuse requirements under Senate Bill 64, authorized construction administration, and approved an emergency purchase of sequential batch reactor mixer shafts for $74,456 after a shaft failure.
Jacksonville Beach — The council on Sept. 15 awarded a $7,541,270 contract to Pedicot Schmidt Civil Contractors Inc. for a filter upgrade at the city's Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) and approved $136,896 for construction administration by Dewberry Engineering. The project is tied to implementation of Florida Senate Bill 64, which requires reclaimed water standards and the city’s planned expansion of reuse for irrigation.
Public Works Director Dennis Barron said the upgrade replaces the facility’s high‑maintenance disc filters with newer filters designed for lower maintenance and better long‑term reliability, noting filters are typically budgeted with a 20‑year useful life. He said costs increased during design as some piping and site decisions changed and filter prices rose sharply in the prior year; the city budget and CIP included the revised funding. Council member Golding noted the state provided $1,750,000 toward the work and described the mandate as an “unfunded mandate” for the city.
Roll call on the construction award recorded Council member Waters voting no and other members voting yes; council approved the construction administration work and authorized the mayor and city manager to negotiate and execute contracts.
Separately, Barron described an emergency parts purchase: a shaft failure in a sequential batch reactor mixer required ordering two replacement shafts (shipping timeline ~12 weeks). Council approved the emergency purchase not to exceed $74,456 to replace the failed shaft and have a spare; the parts are specialized and imported.
Ending: Barron said the filter upgrade is an early, large project tied to SB 64 implementation and that replacing high‑maintenance equipment reduces future maintenance burden; the city will continue testing and monitoring water quality as it implements reuse plans.
