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Warrensburg council approves contract amendment to advance wastewater plant SBR expansion
Summary
The City Council voted unanimously to authorize a contract amendment with Bowen Engineering that allows the city to move the East and West wastewater treatment plant improvement project into construction, including procurement and bid packages tied to an anticipated DNR loan closing in April.
Warrensburg’s City Council on Feb. 11 approved an ordinance authorizing the city manager to execute Contract Amendment No. 1 with Bowen Engineering Corporation to move the East and West wastewater treatment plant improvement project into construction.
The amendment authorizes Bowen to begin releasing bid packages and purchasing long‑lead, sole‑source equipment as the city finalizes a state revolving fund loan through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which staff said they expect to close in early to mid‑April.
Public Works Manager Jason Retard, who presented the item, said city staff and project engineers have negotiated pricing and a schedule with Bowen and HDR over the past five months. He described the project scope as adding sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) to the plants to increase treatment capacity. “We’re adding 1 SBR to each plant, which will give us a total of 4 of them,” Retard said. He explained SBRs as part of the treatment process that uses biological treatment and ultraviolet filtration before discharge.
Retard told council the city is at about “85 to 90% capacity with the 3 SBRs we have at both plants right now,” and that adding the new SBRs will accommodate growth from new subdivisions and future industrial customers.
Council members asked about schedule and procurement. Retard said staff expects to break ground shortly after the loan closing, with substantial completion scheduled around February 2026 and final completion around October 2026. He said the project team is lining up sole‑source equipment — for example, the Trojan UV filtration system and specific blower and pump systems — so purchases can proceed once financing closes.
Council approved the ordinance on a voice vote. Voting recorded in the meeting transcript: Kushner — yes; Osborne — yes; Lothari — yes; Jones — yes; Euler (Mayor Bruce D. Euler) — yes. The motion passed.
Why it matters: the amendment shifts the project from design into procurement and construction and ties contractor awards and equipment purchases to the expected DNR loan closing. That loan is the principal funding source cited by staff for moving forward.
What’s next: staff and the city manager will execute the contract amendment and, pending loan closing, Bowen will release bid packages and begin procurement. Council members were told contingency notices to contractors will be used pending loan closing.
