Albany board recommends $34.9 million contract for Joshua Street solids‑handling upgrades after bidding and cost increases

The Albany Utility Board voted to recommend that the City of Albany enter into a contract for solids‑handling upgrades at the Joshua Street Water Pollution Control Plant, after staff described equipment changes, funding sources and schedule.

Staff presented a single responsive bid — Ruby Collins of Smyrna, Georgia — in response to bid reference 25-035; the board’s staff said market saturation and high demand for municipal plant work limited bidder participation. The recommended award is $34,888,171.

Engineers and operations staff described the project as replacing aging dissolved-air-flotation (DAF) thickening equipment with a new solids-handling building that will include gravity-belt thickeners, space for belt filter presses and associated conveyors, chemical storage and electrical and control systems. The project scope includes reuse of some existing tanks for equalization and space to add additional dewatering equipment in the future.

Staff said the existing DAF equipment is roughly 40–45 years old and has become costly to maintain, that parts have been difficult to source and that the plant had previously been in a critical condition when multiple units were offline. The new system is intended to be more reliable, reduce maintenance and improve final solids dryness (staff cited a rise from about 15% solids to an expected ~18% solids in the dewatered product), which would reduce hauling volumes and operating costs.

Funding will come from a combination of sources staff identified during the presentation: remaining funds from an earlier $25,000,000 loan, a new $12,000,000 GEFA loan (staff said the new $12 million will be allocated to this project), SPLOST funds and sewer utility funds. Staff said the GEFA loan included $3,000,000 of principal forgiveness if all funds are spent as planned. The team estimated the work will take roughly two years to complete.

Board members asked whether other technical options (such as rehabilitating the existing DAF) had been studied; staff said rehabilitation had been considered but that rehabilitation pricing was not yet available and the new building provides better long-term performance and parts availability. Members asked about operating-cost impacts; staff said power, ventilation and chemical costs may change, but parts- and repair-related costs should fall and better dewatering should reduce hauling costs.

After discussion, the board moved and seconded a recommendation to the city commission to award the contract to Ruby Collins; a roll-call vote approved the recommendation for commission action.