Albany board recommends $34.9 million contract to replace solids‑handling equipment at Joshua Street plant

The Albany Utility Board on Feb. 27 recommended the city commission enter into a $34,888,171 contract with Ruby Collins of Smyrna, Georgia, to upgrade solids‑handling equipment at the Joshua Street Water Pollution Control Plant.

Staff described the project as a multi‑component solids‑handling replacement that will add new gravity‑belt thickeners, a new dewatering press, associated conveyors, chemical storage and a small administration/maintenance building. The work replaces an aging dissolved air flotation (DAF) system that staff said is high‑maintenance and increasingly difficult to repair.

Project history and bids: Staff said this procurement has been rebid multiple times. A pre‑bid outreach drew about 36 solicitations and four preproposal attendees, but only one firm submitted a responsive bid. Staff told the board they found the market “saturated” as many municipalities are undertaking similar projects, which reduced bidder interest.

Financing and schedule: Presenters said the work will be funded with a combination of remaining balances on an earlier $25,000,000 GEFA loan, a new $12,000,000 GEFA loan, SPLOST‑8 funds and sewer‑fund resources. Staff said roughly $3.5 million remains from the earlier $25,000,000 loan and that the entire new $12,000,000 loan will be used for this project. Staff also noted the $12,000,000 loan carries about $3,000,000 in principal forgiveness if the funds are fully used. The expected construction and commissioning period is roughly two years.

Operational rationale: Engineers explained the plant’s treatment process and how solids move from headworks through primary and secondary clarification, digestion and final dewatering. The existing DAF thickeners were described as 40–50 years old and prone to part failures; staff recounted a recent period when only a single DAF unit was operable and spare parts were difficult to source.

Board members asked about alternatives and cost drivers. Staff said rehabilitating the existing DAF system was considered but will not deliver comparable performance; equipment and electrical prices have risen substantially since earlier estimates. Presenters said the new gravity‑belt system should improve solids concentrations at dewatering (from about 15% to approximately 18% solids), reduce some maintenance needs and eliminate recurring costs tied to keeping the aging DAFs running.

Vote: The utility board moved to recommend the contract award; the motion passed unanimously on a roll call vote: Burley—yes; Collier—yes; Fields—yes; Woodall—yes; Chair (votes yes).

Ending: Staff will place the recommended contract before the city commission. Construction is expected to take about two years; the board asked staff to prepare more detailed financing and public communication materials for the commission and for public information.