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Council approves engineering amendments for Grant Street water plant as state awards millions for lagoon projects
Summary
Council approved a $78,700 engineering amendment for mechanical bar screens at Grant Street Water Reclamation Facility and a $120,305 task order for operating permit renewals; Councilman LaRusso also announced state grants totalling roughly $9.29 million for local lagoon projects, including $8.6 million for Grant Street improvements.
The Melbourne City Council on March 25 approved two contract actions related to the city's wastewater operations and heard a state funding announcement from a council member.
Contract approvals: Council approved Amendment No. 5 to a professional engineering services contract with Infrastructure Solution Services (ISS) for design work at the Grant Street Water Reclamation Facility in the amount of $78,700. According to city staff, the amendment funds selection and design of mechanical bar screens sized to the facility's existing influent channels and a protective structural coating to extend the wet well and channel service life. The amendment is intended to avoid a full wet-well reconstruction and extend asset life for about 15 years, staff said.
Council also approved Task Order CHA-29 to CHA Consulting Inc. for professional hydraulic modeling and permitting consulting for operating permit renewals at the city’s water reclamation facilities in the amount of $120,305. The CHA scope includes permit renewal application packages, capacity analyses, operation and maintenance performance reports, collection-system action plans and power-outage contingency plans required for the five-year operating permit renewals.
Why it matters: Staff told council the design changes will reduce near-term construction costs by avoiding full reconstruction and will help the city comply with required permit renewals. Funding for the ISS amendment was available in project 33725 (mechanical bar screens). Funding for CHA task order was available in project 33525.
State grant announcements: Councilman LaRusso told the meeting that Governor Ron DeSantis announced state awards to Melbourne projects earlier that day. LaRusso said the city had been awarded $8,600,000 for improvements at the Grant Street Water Reclamation Facility and $691,909 for the Riverview baffle-box stormwater project — a combined total that LaRusso described as “more than $9,000,000.” Staff said those awards align with the city’s ongoing engineering and permit work.
Vote and next steps: Both contract amendments were approved by council vote. Staff will proceed with the design and permit submissions, and managers said they will coordinate with Finance to apply grant funds as allowed by state award terms.
Ending: Council members praised the staff and consultants for finding cost-effective alternatives and for pursuing state funding; staff said the design work will be completed over the next several months and brought to bid when appropriate.
