Lampasas approves funding and contracts for $3.54 million wastewater solids-handling project; CO priorities reviewed

City of Lampasas officials on Monday moved forward on replacing aging solids-handling equipment at the municipal wastewater treatment plant, authorizing $2,544,455 from the city's 2022 Certificates of Obligation (CO) fund and accepting a $1,000,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant to finance the work.

The action authorized contracts for grant administration and engineering services and cleared the way for procurement and environmental review. Staff said the total project budget is $3,544,455 and includes equipment, building and yard work, engineering, grant administration and contingency.

Why it matters: The existing belt press is failing and replacement parts are no longer manufactured; when the machine is down the city must modify sludge handling and incur recurring costs. Staff said a replacement will reduce recurring emergency handling costs, increase capacity and be sized to meet the plant's full build‑out.

City staff told council the city has $6,860,000 available in the 2022 CO fund balance. The staff presentation recommended allocating $2,550,000 (rounded in discussion) from that fund to the belt‑press replacement and using $1,000,000 from the EPA grant, producing the $3.54 million project budget later cited in the meeting packet.

Staff said the city has not yet selected a specific technology; council members discussed belt presses and screw ("screw press") options after a site visit. A staff member said, "We were awarded a $1,000,000 grant from the EPA," and that federal grant rules require American‑made parts for the grant portion of the work. Staff also said it has added a 15% construction contingency to the belt‑press estimate to cover unexpected costs.

Contracts and votes: Council approved a contract for grant administration with Blaine Community Management Services and authorized the city manager to sign required documents. Judy Langford of Blaine Community Management Services explained that the congressional allocation flows to the city through the EPA and that the city must submit an application and environmental review materials to EPA before construction can proceed. Council also approved a contract for engineering services with Jones, Roy and Associates to support the EPA grant and project delivery.

Timeline and procurement: Staff and consultants said the project will require environmental review, wage‑rate compliance checks and bidding. Council and staff estimated an aggressive schedule would spend the first significant amounts on equipment procurement in roughly the next 8–12 months, with construction and remaining work taking an additional 12 months — roughly a two‑year timeline from procurement to a fully functional installation. Staff cautioned that steel and equipment prices are volatile, so they split work into components (building and nonbuilding) to reduce exposure for grant‑funded scope.

Related 2022 CO projects: Council reviewed other items originally funded by the 2022 CO issuance. The Hostess House rehabilitation was originally identified for $800,000 in hotel occupancy tax (HOT) and CO funding; staff said the total to complete Hostess House is now estimated at about $2,679,952, with $800,000 coming from HOT funds and the remainder proposed from Fund 65 (the 2022 CO fund). Staff reported $178,607 already spent on design, engineering and construction paid from HOT funds and said the city intends to reimburse HOT for those amounts from the CO allocation identified for Hostess House.

Hostess House ADA and completion costs: Staff described unresolved ADA access issues that require engineering and construction. They gave a wide estimate for the ADA parking and entry work (from about $25,000 up to $250,000) and said they had conservatively earmarked $250,000 for parking and approach work. Staff also listed a roughly $70,000–$75,000 expected fire‑inspection cost and a conservative $25,000 allowance for furnishings.

Injection sites and water system work: Council and staff discussed two water injection sites (entry points) currently within TxDOT right of way that staff and engineers consider unsafe for personnel and in need of relocation. Staff estimated these site relocations at about $1.5 million per year over two years in some scenarios; council asked staff to prioritize these projects and noted land acquisition will be a first step for relocation.

Capacity and redundancy: Staff said the chosen solids‑handling device will be sized for the plant's full build‑out and that retaining the existing belt press as a redundant unit is planned until the new equipment is fully online. Staff noted that operating both units could increase capacity; the screw‑press option discussed was described as providing roughly 2 to 2.5 times current capacity in the presentation.

Next steps: Staff must submit EPA application materials (the packet references a June 6 application deadline), complete required environmental review and wage‑rate documentation, finalize engineering design, and proceed through procurement. Council discussion signaled direction to prioritize injection‑site work among remaining CO projects pending budget decisions.

Speakers quoted or identified in the meeting included: Staff member (presenter), Judy Langford (Blaine Community Management Services), Mr. Jones (Jones, Roy and Associates), and Aaron Corbell (city manager).