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Commissioners waive purchasing rules, authorize purchase and warranty for failing sewage grinder
Summary
The board agreed to waive competitive procurement rules and approved replacement of a county sewage grinder and a possible extended warranty of up to $4,000 after officials reported repeated failures and a recent backup that caused sewage overflow into a jail booking area.
Belknap County commissioners voted to waive purchasing requirements and allow a direct purchase of a replacement sewage grinder the county uses to grind wastewater from the jail and adjoining correction center, and they authorized staff to buy an extended warranty up to $4,000 if available.
John Bosse (staff member) described repeated failures of the grinder unit and the urgency for replacement. He said the unit "runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week" and that the unit is designed to grind anything coming from the jail and community corrections center. He told the board the replacement unit would cost $12,024 for the pump itself and that AAA Bay Electric Motors in Manchester quoted $4,762.47 to outfit the unit with a new electric motor, remove the old unit and reinstall the replacement — a total project cost of $16,786.47.
Bosse said the currently failing unit was installed in 2022 and that the unit's cutters wear from material flushed into the system. He recounted a May 21 blockage that included sheets, ramen noodle packets and creamers, which caused the grinder to stop and backed sewage into the jail's sally port and booking area. Staff have been pumping and inspecting the chamber daily while awaiting replacement.
Commissioners asked about warranty coverage and refurbishment options. Bosse said the manufacturer's warranty on an earlier unit lasted roughly 12 months, and he read that the new unit's warranty was 18 months. He said the cutting drums themselves wear and cannot be rebuilt at lower cost, though motors can be refurbished. He recommended buying a complete unit and ideally keeping a spare in the future to reduce downtime.
Commissioner discussion concluded with a motion to waive the purchasing policy and to authorize the purchase of an extended warranty if available for less than $4,000; the motions were seconded and carried unanimously. Commissioners noted approving the purchase will require reprogramming other budget priorities, including delaying a planned $30,000 courthouse flooring project.
The action recorded was an administrative procurement waiver and authorization for purchase and warranty; no ordinance or statutory authority was cited during the discussion.
