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Alpine cites Sunny Glen tank leak, wastewater plant phase and well repairs among top infrastructure priorities
Summary
Council heard updates on the wastewater treatment plant phases, a leaking Sunny Glen water tank that may require underwater welding, recurring lift-station pump failures (estimated pump replacement about $25,000) and the need to restore idle wells; staffing shortages in utilities were flagged as a major implementation constraint.
City Manager Megan and councilors used the workshop to emphasize water and wastewater work as top infrastructure priorities, spelling out short-term repairs and longer-term capital needs.
Megan told council the wastewater treatment plant remains a multi-year, phased project that has continued from prior budgets and that the council should consider budgeting for phase 3 (a second clarifier) in the next fiscal year. She announced the Sunny Glen water tank has a slow leak that staff isolated and that the city is exploring options to repair it without fully draining the tank; the repair could require a diver-qualified welder or other specialist.
The nut graf: councilors and staff said water, wastewater and streets are the highest immediate priorities because they directly affect reliability and development. Councilor Rick urged staff to "get the welders out, go get an estimate, figure out what it's going to take" to fix the Sunny Glen leak and to prioritize the southeast-side water-pressure feasibility work tied to new housing developments such as Skyway Gardens Phase 2.
Staff reported recurring problems at a privately supported lift station near a hotel and estimated a pump replacement at about $25,000; past failures have been caused by nonbiodegradable items (jeans, towels and shoes) entering the system. The city has discussed asking a nearby hotel (Sol Ross) to install a grinder pump on its side, and has explored restoring a gravity-fed option that predated the current lift station. Megan said money has already been set aside for the lift-station improvements.
Council and staff discussed efforts to restore underused/test wells and bring offline wells back into service — Megan said Moose Gees wells 8 and 9 have been inactive for about 15 years and that the city owns those assets. The manager also described the option of leasing an external well while the city attempts to bring its own wells back online; she cautioned that reliance on leased wells creates long-term dependency and risk.
Councilors repeatedly flagged staffing and turnover as implementation constraints: "out of the 8 employees, 6 of them have been there less than 90 days," Megan said, meaning complex capital work may require contracting outside firms rather than relying on in-house crews. Staff are scheduling field work to determine whether a booster pump can be tied into the system and to test pump station wiring and piping before committing to larger construction.
Ending: No formal action was taken at the workshop; council asked staff to return with cost estimates, procurement steps and schedule options so the council can decide whether to include specific repairs and capital phases in the coming year's budget.
