Shelton council approves multiple water and sewer contracts and waives bidding for emergency booster pump purchase

The Shelton City Council on Tuesday approved a series of public-works actions, including design contracts for a headworks upgrade, removal of a sewer bypass pipe, additional design work on the Well One rehabilitation project, HVAC replacements for city facilities and an emergency purchase of a water booster pump.

The measures target aging treatment and distribution infrastructure and are funded by a mix of grant, general fund and real-estate excise tax (REET) dollars. Council adopted the package of resolutions after staff said delays in equipment deliveries and permit needs make timely contracting important.

Assistant Public Works Director Brent Armstrong told the council the city re-ran an RFP process that had a typical $300,000 limit and that the new contract amendment for the NDR headworks upgrade design now allows “up to $600,000” to cover additional design and zoning costs (staff cited $408,305.40 of zoning-related costs in the discussion). Armstrong said the work is covered under a Department of Commerce grant.

The council also authorized an on-call work order with Parametrix (listed in the meeting as “Parametrics”) to begin design on removing a sewer bypass pipe and large rocks within Goldsboro (Goldfield) Creek. Staff said the work will require extensive permitting, multiple stakeholders and aims to help recreate natural habitat in the bay; a council member noted the tribe and state regulators are supportive.

Council approved contract amendments for the Well One rehabilitation design with Green Osborne Inc., including the addition of two small chlorine buildings at city wells and design work for transfer switches and generator hookups. Staff said permits for the chlorine buildings have been obtained and that these additional design elements are being funded mostly with REET funds after project cost savings.

Separately, the council approved two HVAC replacement contracts with Capital Heating and Cooling: a library HVAC replacement (low bid $37,042.34 versus the library line-item budget of $32,000) and museum HVAC replacements (low bid about $43,679.79 on a roughly $50,000 budget). Assistant Public Works Director Aaron Nicks told the council the three facility HVAC projects together remain under the roughly $82,000 total the city budgeted for these replacements, with savings in one contract offsetting overages in another.

Public works staff described an equipment failure at the Ingleside Booster Station in which one of the station’s two pumps and motors burned out. The council adopted Resolution 1384-0425, finding an emergency and waiving competitive bidding under applicable state law to allow immediate purchase of a replacement booster pump with an estimated seven-week lead time. Staff said temporary operational steps exist — including the ability to interconnect the Mountview and Angleside reservoirs — but stressed the city needs the replacement before summer demand increases. The city is pursuing insurance reimbursement for the replacement cost.

Council votes on the item series were taken by voice; motions and seconds were recorded and each measure was adopted. The meeting record shows no roll-call vote tally of individual council members on these items.

Why it matters: the actions fund near-term repairs and designs intended to maintain drinking-water supply and sewer system function, move permitting-dependent creek restoration forward, and replace aging HVAC equipment in public buildings. Staff emphasized the city is shifting from reactive maintenance to more proactive capital work and said several projects will be going to bid this summer.

The council packet for the meeting includes the listed resolutions (1375-0325; 1377-0325; 1380-0425; 1381-0425; 1382-0425; 1384-0425) and related contract documents for city review and procurement records.