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Belpre advances water and wastewater projects, schedules bids and grant steps
Summary
At its Jan. 13 meeting the Belpre City Council heard updates from Mayor Dell on multiple public-works projects, including a planned RFQ/RFP for a wastewater-treatment rehab to qualify for federal funds, a water-tank and 10-inch main extension with a Feb. 4 pre-bid meeting, and an estimated $30,000 cost to replace communications-tower lights.
Belpre City Council on Jan. 13 heard a series of public-works updates from Mayor Dell that laid out schedules for upcoming bids, a grant application in progress and near-term repair work affecting the city’s water and communications systems.
Mayor Dell said the city has identified components on a communications tower shared with the school that are not on emergency power and that “the lights on the tower will be required to be changed. The cost of the new lights and the tower climbing will be approximately $30,000.” The mayor asked the law director to confirm permitting and to allow work to proceed.
The mayor described work on multiple water projects. She said the city must replace lead and galvanized service lines before a larger related inventory project can advance and that the city will need to track those notifications for the next 12 years. On the wastewater side, Dell said she had spoken with Heidi Milner of RCAP (the Rural Community Assistance Partnership) and that the project team has delayed committing to a contractor so the city can follow the federal procurement sequence required for grant eligibility: issue a request for qualifications (RFQ), review submissions, interview finalists, then issue a request for proposals (RFP) to obtain firm cost estimates.
“We slowed our train down a little bit and we’re starting to get ready to ask the RFQ process,” Dell said, explaining that not following that sequence would make the city ineligible for federal funds.
Dell also described a separate water-tank and 10-inch main extension project. She said legal reviews delayed the bid advertising and that the pre-bid meeting is scheduled for Feb. 4 at 1:00 p.m., with site visits to follow. She said the city expects to award the project in March and hopes construction will finish by year’s end.
On grants, the mayor said work on an EPA grant for a generator at the city’s well field was “looking really good” and that signage to mark source-water protection around the park is included in the grant scope. She said a fire-department grant application with a $10,000 matching component will be submitted for turnout gear and equipment intended to suppress electric-vehicle fires.
The city is also preparing a new five-year trash contract; Dell said Southeastern Hydraulic Solid Waste Management (transcribed name) is working with the city on bid documents. She said staff will move ahead with the bid process when the current contract’s term expires.
Ending her report, the mayor noted staffing and operational updates across the street and water departments and said the city will continue to track the lead-service replacement work and related recordkeeping requirements.
Ending notes: Dell asked council members and department heads to expect forthcoming bid documents and RFQs and to participate in interviews and the RFQ/RFP process when scheduled.
