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Lenox council approves emergency $61,000 upgrade to main lift-station controls and SCADA integration
Summary
Council approved an emergency replacement of the main wastewater lift-station control panel after staff said the 27-year-old unit poses a failure risk; the low bid/quote was about $61,000 and exceeds the $25,000 budgeted amount.
The Lenox City Council approved an emergency expenditure to replace the control panel at the city's main wastewater lift station after staff said the existing 27-year-old panel has components that may be irreplaceable and could fail.
City staff presented a written quote for roughly $61,000 to supply and install a new enclosure, updated components, a variable-frequency drive (VFD) to control pump speed, a level transducer to replace the current float system, and a city-owned SCADA point/dataset to replace a third-party alarm-only system. Staff said the quoted contractor is the sole local representative for the equipment and that lead times are about 10 to 20 weeks for some components.
Staff told the council the project's budget for 2025 included $25,000 for the control panel, but the quote exceeded that amount. Council approved the expenditure and declared the replacement an emergency because a failure of the main lift station would present a significant operational problem. Staff said the cost would come from Fund 604 (as stated in the meeting). The council took the item by motion and roll-call vote; the motion carried.
Staff said the new panel would include clearly labeled terminal blocks and that the new SCADA points would be city-owned, removing reliance on a third-party alarm service. No detailed contract language was finalized during the meeting and staff said they would return with final contract language as needed.
