Alma City advances CDBG application to remove asbestos, renovate wastewater plant lab

The Alma City Commission on a voice vote authorized the city manager to submit a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application and execute related documents to address hazardous asbestos and renovate the laboratory and employee facilities in the wastewater treatment plant control building.

Consultant Brian Van Zee of Fishback told the commission the plant serves Alma and parts of Arcadia and Pine River and has a current capacity of 2,500,000 gallons per day. He said recent evaluations found asbestos in the control building’s lab, break room and locker room and described the proposed scope as remediation of hazardous materials, a complete lab renovation, and an addition of a small bathroom/locker area to help recruit employees.

Van Zee said the CDBG program requires a community match and that the project’s local share is about 11 percent: “city match that is, like I said, about 11%. So it's $132,000 out of the 1,200,000.0.” He also described a target schedule: the city will submit the application soon, expects notification by about June 20, and anticipates design to follow with construction targeted to start in 2026 and to take roughly one to one-and-a-half years.

Commissioners asked whether the work would require new exterior construction and whether the renovated space would be adequate long term. Van Zee said the work is “all contained in what is within the building,” and acknowledged the control building is “very tight and small,” adding that future needs (for example, locating a SCADA control area) remain uncertain because of space limits. He said the project will address ADA access in the affected area, possibly by adding a doorway or ramp.

The resolution to authorize the CDBG application and allow the city manager to sign related documents passed on a voice vote where those present voted in favor.