Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Storm Response topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City reports $4 million in storm-related emergency purchases; clarifier pipe and lift-station pumps prioritized
Summary
City staff reported roughly $4 million in storm-related emergency procurements and described three recent emergency repairs: $106,000 for clarifier No. 3 piping, $91,000 for lift-station pumps and $4,623 for sanitation building roof flashing.
City staff told the Bradenton City Council on Wednesday that emergency procurement related to recent storms includes roughly 50 items and an estimated $4 million in repair costs, and described three specific emergency purchases that staff authorized under the city's purchasing policy.
City staff member Mr. Perry presented the Emergency Procurement Report and said the first emergency item is a $106,000 repair to connect clarifier No. 3 to the plant's digesters. Perry said the work consists of aboveground piping, valves and labor to provide connectivity and relieve solids-processing problems.
Perry described a second emergency purchase—high-capacity lift-station pumps—at approximately $91,000 and a third, $4,623 repair to metal siding and flashing on sanitation department buildings. He said many costs will be submitted first to the city's inland marine/property insurer and then to FEMA for additional reimbursement.
Perry summarized: "We've had several meetings, including last week, with the insurers themselves... We have received some partial payments from the insurer. They're working on some claims, and they will be rapidly paid, opposed to FEMA that has a more protracted type of reimbursement." He added that some emergency categories (debris hauling and protective measures) are eligible for expedited FEMA reimbursement.
Council discussion focused on whether the clarifier work is a temporary "band-aid" or a longer-term fix. Mayor Gene Brown and staff described the clarifier issue as a likely design connectivity problem; the mayor said of the short-term repair, "This is a Band Aid to get it fixed. And because when you put a Band Aid on, when you take it off, you hope it's healed." Perry and councilmembers said the larger clarifier project now under construction should help resolve capacity problems.
Staff gave operational context: the wastewater plant is rated at 9,000,000 gallons per day, averages roughly 6 to 7 million gallons daily and experienced peak flows of 25 to 30 million gallons during the storm sequence, which stressed biological treatment and equipment.
Perry said he is authorized to approve emergency procurements under the purchasing policy and that he will continue to report the items to the council.
