The Mount Pleasant City Council unanimously approved pay request No. 24 on June 3, authorizing payment of $852,715.20 to Heritage Contractor LLC for work on the Southside Wastewater Treatment Plant improvements.

City staff presented the pay request and the project status, saying the work covered tertiary filter improvements, yard piping, backfilling, pump insulation and electrical upgrades. Staff reported a contract value of $41,012,657.85 and noted completed contract cost to date of $30,375,591.17; the packet listed percent time complete as 95% and percent money complete as 67%.

"Pay request number 24 is an amount of $852,715.20. This pay request is for work performed at the wastewater treatment plant, including but not limited to tertiary filter improvements, yard piping, backfilling, pumps pump insulation, and electrical improvements," the presenter said.

Councilmembers asked for a facility tour and pressed staff on the actual percent complete. Councilmember Corbel said on paper the project reads 95% complete but suggested the true project completion might be closer to 85% when accounting for remaining commissioning work. Staff and a project presenter said the later stages include filling and acclimating new treatment trains and that manufacturer timing for screw pumps had delayed certain milestones but did not increase contract price.

"The screw pumps are working fine now. It's just a matter of it just takes a while to get all that working," a project representative said when describing the final commissioning steps.

Staff recommended a motion to pay the request; a council member moved and another seconded. The motion carried by unanimous vote. Council and staff agreed to schedule a tour of the facility while some areas remain accessible, and staff said they would send invitations to council members to view the plant during the commissioning window.

Staff characterized remaining work as primarily commissioning and removal of the old train once the new train is acclimated, but cautioned there can be unknowns exposed during final decommissioning of legacy systems. No additional contracts or change orders were presented at the meeting.