Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wastewater Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Jamestown accepts Weston & Sampson wastewater evaluation and moves to fund design work
Summary
The Jamestown Town Council accepted an engineering evaluation from Weston & Sampson that outlines priority repairs to pump stations and the wastewater treatment plant, authorized using sewer reserves to fund engineering, and directed staff toward design and bond planning.
The Jamestown Town Council voted to accept an engineering evaluation from Weston & Sampson that lays out near-term repairs and a 20-year capital program for the town’s wastewater system.
Justin Gould of Weston & Sampson said the firm’s two-part evaluation reviewed the collection system, four pump stations and the wastewater treatment plant. “There’s about 87,000 feet of sewer pipe in the ground, services roughly 1,300 properties,” Gould said, and the study used condition and probability-of-failure ratings to prioritize work.
The report identifies a first design-and-construction package (Priority 1) with targeted repairs and upgrades: targeted collection investigations (CCTV and manhole inspections) budgeted at about $230,000, pump-station electrical and HVAC work, instrumentation upgrades and several plant process improvements. Gould described a planning-level cost for a broad plant scope at roughly $7,000,000 and said the combined 20-year estimate for pump stations and the treatment plant is about $16.5 million, with the treatment-plant portion comprising about 60% of that total.
Council members asked whether the numbers included later-priority work and what it would cost to replace the plant. One councilor said a full replacement would likely be “far north of a hundred million dollars.” Mary Maha emphasized that wastewater and water operations are funded by ratepayers, not property taxes, noting roughly 1,500 ratepayers in a town of about 6,000 and the implications for future rate adjustments.
Following the presentation, a councilor moved and the council approved acceptance of the Weston & Sampson report. The council also approved a resolution encumbering the sewer reserve to pay engineering expenses so the town can proceed to design and bond preparation for the recommended Priority 1 package.
Town staff also warned of ancillary obligations that will follow from state rules: a lead service inventory due to the Rhode Island Department of Health on October 16 and a 10-year replacement planning requirement for identified services. Staff said the town will also need to provide point-of-use filters where required.
The council’s votes were by voice and the body signaled unanimous assent. Next steps indicated by staff include moving the Priority 1 scope into a formal design package and, later, preparing for a financing package or bond to cover construction.
