Bluff City officials face higher-than-expected water plant bid, push for funding and repairs

Bluff City officials were told at their Sept. 8 Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting that a rebid for the town—s water treatment plant came in well above the engineer—s earlier estimate, prompting staff to ask state grant administrators about additional funding and to prepare a value‑engineering review with the contractor.

Austin Smith, an engineer with Mattern & Craig, told aldermen the water treatment plant project was rebid last week and that "that bid still came in fairly high." He said he has contacted First Tennessee Development District to ask whether additional money can be made available before the board asks the contractor to meet and examine ways to reduce scope or cost.

The engineer—s earlier construction estimate, Smith said, was roughly $626,700 (engineer—s estimate for construction and listed contingency), while the most recent rebid arrived about $1,350,000. Smith said a major driver of the increase has been the SCADA portion of the project, which is coming in roughly two and a half times prior estimates, and that some items included in the rebid (a booster station at Chinquapin, additional generators) were not in the original funding application.

Why it matters: the project was originally scoped and funded under earlier grant rounds and rising equipment and construction costs have outpaced the available award. Without additional funds or changes to scope, staff said the town will need to identify cuts or seek supplemental grants.

Smith described related work on the town—s water and sewer asset management plans (AMPs), reporting that meter locations and pump station surveys are nearly complete and condition-assessment spreadsheets and GIS data entry are roughly half finished for sewer components. That work will inform capital prioritization and grant applications, Smith said.

On sewer condition work, Smith said recent smoke testing produced a defect log and photos that "were sent to the town." He said the results appear similar to testing done in 2016 and 2017 and emphasized the need to start addressing private-side defects. "If you need our assistance in preparing letters to issue to residents, I'll be more than happy to do so," Smith said.

Public comment and stormwater: resident Cathy Leonard (316 McClellan Lane) asked the board to add curbing where repeated flood flows have cut a gully through her yard. "I have pictures if anybody wants to see the flood," Leonard said during the public comment period, describing multiple recent floods that nearly reached her driveway.

Alan Multry, Bluff City public works supervisor, said Mattern & Craig had recommended curbing for McClellan and that curbing is on the list for upcoming paving projects. Multry also briefed the board on operational metrics: the water treatment plant averaged about 251,000 gallons per day in August, the town repaired two lateral water leaks during the month, and a sewer overflow on Aug. 13 was addressed.

Grant and technical assistance developments: Smith and the mayor said they have asked First Tennessee Development District contact Christina whether other funding avenues exist; Smith acknowledged he did not expect an untapped pot of funds but wanted to explore options. The mayor separately reported that the town received EPA technical assistance through a program aimed at wastewater projects (Closing America's Wastewater Gap) that can supply planning support and funding ideas.

What the board directed: staff said they will await a response from the district contact, continue grant eligibility work for infrastructure planning grants aimed at overflow mitigation, and — if needed — convene a meeting with the contractor and town staff to evaluate the bid and identify scope reductions or locally procured work to reduce costs. Smith and Multry both urged follow-up smoke testing and action to correct defects identified on private property so the town's I&I problems can be reduced.

Background/next steps: the town previously received ARPA-administered funding for water projects that was routed through state administration and First Tennessee Development District; TDEC (Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation) was discussed as the state funding administrator that would handle implementation and oversight for the project. Staff recommended using the AMP findings and recent smoke-testing logs to support applications for planning or construction grants and to prioritize repairs.

The board did not take a formal vote on the water treatment plant scope or on a funding request at the Sept. 8 meeting; staff said they would report back after hearing from First Tennessee and after a follow-up meeting with the contractor if one is required.