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La Plata staff outlines backlog of hydrant repairs, failing meter nodes and stormwater projects; RFQ approach proposed
Summary
Town Manager Chuck Stevens told council the public-works department is managing a backlog that includes about 24 out-of-service hydrants (roughly 680 hydrants total), roughly 375 water-meter nodes failing to report and numerous stormwater projects. Staff proposed using an RFQ and an on-call vendor list to speed repairs.
Town Manager Chuck Stevens told the council on Aug. 12 the town is addressing a backlog of public-works maintenance that includes three priority areas: fire hydrants, water-meter telemetry nodes and stormwater projects.
Stevens said the town maintains about 680 hydrants; crews are completing a hydrant-painting program and about two dozen hydrants are currently out of service and marked accordingly. The painting project costs the town roughly $26.50 per hydrant, he said; hydrants that are out of service were not painted pending repairs.
Stevens also said roughly 375 electronic meter nodes that transmit reads to the billing system are malfunctioning or not reporting, producing estimated water-usage bills for affected accounts. He said staff will obtain live meter reads, reconcile bills and issue credits where appropriate; sewer charges tied to water usage will be reconciled as well.
To accelerate work, Stevens proposed using requests for qualifications (RFQ) to assemble an on-call list of qualified vendors for stormwater, hydrant repair and meter-node work. Under the RFQ approach the town would prequalify firms and then scope and award specific tasks to available vendors, which Stevens said would speed execution while maintaining town oversight of scope and pricing.
Councilmembers thanked staff for the update and asked for identification of out-of-service hydrants and expected timelines; Stevens said out-of-service hydrants are marked in the field and on the department list and that the painting project for owned hydrants should wrap within weeks. The council did not take formal action on funding at the meeting.
