Commissioners award contract for Lincoln Park lift station replacement after repeated failures

The Upson County Board of Commissioners approved a contract to replace the Lincoln Park lift station after staff described repeated operational failures at the existing wet well. Staff and the utilities superintendent said the current lift station — installed decades ago — had experienced multiple failures that required manual siphoning and transporting wastewater to the city treatment facility. The recommended contractor submitted the successful proposal under an RFP evaluation; staff recommended a project budget including the contractor estimate and an approximately 25% contingency to cover design and construction unknowns. The contractor’s proposed cost was about $594,000; staff recommended adding an estimated $150,000 contingency, resulting in a total budget of roughly $744,000 that also included a provision for a natural-gas generator to maintain operation during outages. The county owns the facility even though it serves the Thomaston Housing Authority; commissioners and staff discussed ownership history and whether the city would assume ownership after replacement. Action: Commissioners moved and approved the contract award and budget; the contract will proceed to detailed design and construction. Staff said they will coordinate with engineering consultants and, if necessary, the municipal gas provider for generator fuel connections. Why it matters: The lift station serves housing units and repeated failures involved manual intervention and transport of wastewater. The replacement project addresses operational reliability and includes redundancy (generator) to reduce future emergency responses and manual handling.