Assistant Director of Public Works Tim Beaman told the Oxnard City Council that staff recommends approval of $56,174,906 in project funds for the primary clarifiers and activated sludge tank improvement project (specification PW2117) and asked that the Mayor be authorized to execute the construction agreement.

"The recommendation is that City Council approve and authorize a total of $56,174,906 in project funds for the primary clarifiers and activated sludge tank improvement project specification number PW2117," Beaman said. He presented a proposed construction agreement amount transcribed in the record as $46,812,422, a construction contingency of $4,681,242 (approximately 10 percent) and an overall not-to-exceed construction value of $51,493,664, plus project allocations for engineering, inspection, survey and project management.

Beaman described the Water Resource Recovery Facility as "about a 32 MGD conventional secondary treatment plant" and said both the primary clarifiers (converted from dissolved air flotation in 1975) and the activated sludge tanks (constructed in 1990) have exceeded typical useful lives of 25–30 years. He told council the final design was completed by Brown and Caldwell in December 2024 and that the work includes new aeration piping and diffusers, odor control, mechanical-equipment replacement, structural repairs and process improvements.

"The manufacturer's no longer in business, and we cannot find replacement parts for it," Beaman said, referring to the aeration equipment in some activated sludge basins. He said the planned upgrades will allow the city to change the treatment process and eventually demolish the trickling filters.

On funding, Beaman proposed a $22,579,552 project appropriation from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF, Fund 6-17) with corresponding transfers into Wastewater Capital Fund 6-12 for project C1814; a $5,000,000 appropriation from the Wastewater Operating Fund (Fund 6-11) with transfers into Fund 6-12 for the wastewater collection gravity main improvements project (C2309); and unappropriations totalling $18,950,159 from SRF accounts and $3,397,350 from the Wastewater Operating Fund to support the primary clarifiers project.

Beaman said the project was advertised on 06/26/2025 with a bid due date of 10/09/2025 and that SRF requirements and DBE outreach were part of the procurement process. Despite outreach to 41 contractors and publication on multiple platforms, he said the city received two bids, transcribed as "Filonced" (the low, responsive bidder recommended for award) and "KeyWitt." Beaman recommended awarding the base bid and all five additive items to permit tank cleaning and to address expected field conditions.

He emphasized operational constraints: the plant must run continuously ("24/7, 365") so temporary bypass pumping will be required during construction, which adds cost and complexity. He also noted that some pipe breaks were discovered after design was complete and that the recommended contract includes allowances to address unforeseen field conditions that differ from as-built drawings.

Work is tentatively scheduled to begin in 2025 and continue through 2027, Beaman said. The presentation concluded with a reminder that two additional staff reports related to the project were before the council. The provided transcript records the recommendation and details of the funding and procurement plan but does not record a council vote on the measure.

Note on transcribed contractor names: the procurement section of the transcript uses several spellings ("Filonced," "Felons," "Felog"). The article uses the spellings as transcribed and flags that these names may be garbled in the record; official contract award documentation should be consulted for verified contractor names and contract amounts.