Wasatch PWA approves $2.58 million contract to replace Hundred 17 sanitary sewer force main

The Wasatch Public Works Authority voted unanimously to award a $2,580,907 construction contract to Ira M. Green Construction Company to replace the Hundred 17 sanitary sewer force main, authority staff said. The board approved the award after staff described repeated ruptures of the existing line and steps taken to secure permits and an easement required to build the replacement.

The replacement project covers the Hundred 17 lift station force main, which staff said was originally installed in 1975; the lift station itself was upgraded in February 2012 but the long pipeline remained the original line. "It has ruptured twice in the last eight months. Once was last week. We are trying to get this thing replaced before it blows out underneath Highway 169 and creates a huge mess," said Daniel Dearing during the item presentation.

Staff said the project was designed by Kellogg Engineering and required an interlocal agreement with Tulsa County to relocate part of the alignment; the city council and the Tulsa County Board of Commissioners approved that interlocal agreement in September. One remaining property easement was acquired in December 2024, officials said, and bid documents were published in compliance with state statutes.

A mandatory pre-bid meeting on Jan. 9 drew about 16 construction and supplier firms, staff said; eight firms submitted bids when the solicitation closed on Jan. 16. The lowest qualified bidder was Ira M. Green Construction Company of Claremore, Oklahoma, at $2,580,907. Staff said the bid came in below the engineer's estimate and included a $200,000 project allowance for unforeseen site conditions. The contract sets 270 days for substantial completion and 300 days for final completion from notice to proceed, and funding is available in the wastewater collections division budget.

During the meeting a trustee praised the lower-than-expected bid and asked about the project timeline; staff replied that the 270-day substantial completion schedule allows time for road reconstruction and interagency coordination, and that the pipeline work could be finished earlier than the overall substantial-completion milestone.

The authority approved the staff recommendation to award the construction contract and to authorize execution of necessary documents. No amendments to the motion were recorded.

Background: Staff said the line had ruptured four or five times before the current design work began and twice in the past eight months. The project includes coordination with Tulsa County and road reconstruction above the pipeline alignment as part of the construction schedule.

A trustee asked about project duration and staff said the substantial-completion period is 270 days (roughly nine months) with a 300-day final completion deadline. The record shows a unanimous roll-call vote in favor of the contract award.