The Osage County Commission on Oct. 28 approved a construction contract with TriStar Utilities Inc. for planned improvements to the county’s wastewater treatment facility and authorized a related change order and a notice-of-intent transfer for stormwater permitting.

The county’s presentation noted the project has moved from collection-system work into treatment-plant rehabilitation. Ben Kramer provided the update, saying the contractor and designer reviewed the scope and identified opportunities to simplify work on dikes, piping and some distribution structures. Kramer said the edits remove an optional biosolids removal and adjust earthwork and control structures; the net effect is a reduction in the contract price “on the order of a few hundred thousand dollars,” which central staff described in discussion as about $313,000.

Why it matters: the project completes long-delayed upgrades to county lagoons and treatment basins and includes work intended to keep the facility non-discharging. Commissioners said the reconfigured lagoon sequencing will preserve treatment capacity while allowing more flexible operations, including the possibility of bringing the north cell back into service if flows change.

Commission discussion and approvals: Kramer said the construction contract, a signed change order that reflects the reductions, and a notice transferring the stormwater National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit responsibility to the contractor during work were before the board. Commissioners moved, seconded and voted to authorize the chair (or vice chair if unavailable) to sign three documents: the owner–contractor agreement with TriStar Utilities Inc., change order No. 1, and the notice/transfer related to the stormwater permit. The motion carried by voice vote; no individual roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript.

Project details and next steps: the contract’s construction calendar includes a timeline the presenter described as 150 days to substantial completion and 184 days to final completion measured from issuance of the notice to proceed. Kramer said TriStar will perform control-structure installations and that a separate subcontractor will handle earthwork and biosolids handling. Commissioners requested a contractor schedule once TriStar issues it and asked staff to circulate the project manual and contract documents to county staff for review. Kramer and county staff said work will be staged to avoid interrupting routine service to customers and homeowners’ associations near the lagoons.

No legal or financing action was reported at the meeting beyond contract execution; commissioners asked county counsel and staff to continue administrative follow-up and to provide the contractor’s schedule when available.