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Panama City approves $4.56 million generator, $212,000 odor unit for Millville wastewater plant; relocation study remains under way
Summary
The commission awarded a $4,564,600 contract to Marshall Brothers to replace the Millville Wastewater Treatment Plant generator and approved a separate $212,000 contract for an odor control unit; staff said the work responds to a DEP consent order and FEMA HMGP funding while a feasibility study on relocation and other options continues.
The Panama City Commission on June 24 approved two contracts to improve reliability and reduce odors at the Millville Wastewater Treatment Plant and heard updates on a separate feasibility study about the plant's long‑term future.
Staff recommended and the commission approved the low responsive bid from Marshall Brothers of $4,564,600 to replace the plant's standby generator. “The lowest responsive bid was from Marshall Brothers in the amount of $4,564,600.00,” staff said in the agenda presentation. Staff said the project is intended to replace the existing generator so the plant can remain fully operational during commercial power loss.
City staff told commissioners the project was advertised October 30, 2024; four proposals were opened March 19, 2025; and the Florida Division of Emergency Management is drafting an amendment to the city's HMGP (Hazard Mitigation Grant Program) agreement to provide additional grant funding. Staff said a budget amendment will be presented later to accept the increased grant funds.
Separately the commission approved awarding bid PC25-025 for a 500 cubic foot‑per‑minute biological odor control unit and backup carbon filter for the Millville facility, also to Marshall Brothers, at $212,000. Staff said the unit will be installed in the footprint of the original odor control system and “will reduce corrosive gases and control odors to the surrounding area.”
Commissioners and staff discussed the tension between investing in the existing Millville plant and relocating it. Staff said the city is under a consent order from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection requiring specific upgrades and noted that “if right now today, you all said go build a new wastewater treatment plant in Panama City North, that's a 7 to 10 year project.” A feasibility study by Mott MacDonald, funded by a DEP grant to evaluate six or seven options — including relocation, hardening, and partial consolidation with other plants — is expected back this fall, staff said.
Commissioner Street and others noted the city has invested nearly $10 million in Millville improvements over recent years and that continued investment could complicate relocation plans. Staff said much of the generator and odor control work is grant‑funded and necessary to meet regulatory obligations while longer‑term options are evaluated.
The motion to award the generator contract and the motion to award the odor‑control contract each passed on roll‑call votes of 5‑0. Staff also described concurrent neighborhood infrastructure work for North Millville (the Glenwood/Project Area X CDBG‑DR project, roughly $6–7 million) and said the city will convene public meetings with residents and the contractor before construction begins.
