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Belpre council hears timeline and funding plans for water, SCADA and wastewater projects
Summary
Mayor Della told the Belpre City Council the city is preparing bids and seeking financing for multiple water and wastewater projects, including a roughly $350,000 SCADA upgrade and a wastewater treatment RFP that attracted interest from about seven firms.
Mayor Della told the Belpre City Council on Jan. 30 that the city is preparing bids and funding plans for several water and wastewater infrastructure projects, including a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system upgrade estimated at about $350,000.
The projects matter to residents because they cover water treatment, a new water tank, a 10-inch water main extension and wastewater improvements that affect service reliability and future construction timetables. Mayor Della said the city is weighing financing options so the SCADA cost can be spread over time.
"It'll be approximately $350,000 for the SCADA upgrade," Mayor Della said. She told the council the city originally budgeted $175,000 from water and sewer funds, and staff now favors seeking a loan to cover the remainder so the project can be spread out over time.
Mayor Della said the city held a pre-bid meeting on Feb. 4 for the water tank and the 10-inch water main and that the bid openings for those projects will be reopened on Feb. 20 at 1 p.m. at Mountain Chambers. She said the city expects to start construction "probably in April," pending federal and other approvals. "We will reopen both of them on February 20 at 1PM here at Mountain Chambers," she said.
On equipment and operations, Mayor Della reported that the city has submitted a purchase order to replace MXU radios for water meters and that the Well 2 rehabilitation is on hold while staff determines funding. She said communication-tower parts have been ordered and key operators completed SCBA training and are now certified.
The city has also begun the request-for-proposals process for its wastewater treatment plant project, and Mayor Della said she had received calls from about seven firms interested in the RFP. "We've had interest. I've had calls from about 7 firms interested in our project," she said.
Mayor Della reported staff are working with an engineering firm (EDG) on monthly project updates and that the firm will present a project model to the council for review in the coming month. She also said staff are collecting household data for EPA-related work for 2025 and 2026 and that the SCADA project is scheduled to go out to bid on Feb. 21.
The council did not take formal action on financing at the meeting; Mayor Della said staff will pursue a loan option but did not present a formal loan agreement or vote for approval.
Ending: Councilmembers did not debate specifics of financing during the meeting; staff will return with additional details and the engineering firm is scheduled to present its model to the council next month.
