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Blackstone treatment plant near completion but SCADA upgrades delayed, bids rebid
Summary
Town officials said construction on the wastewater treatment plant is substantially complete but SCADA control upgrades were removed earlier for budget reasons; two initial bids were rejected and revised specs are being rebid — officials expect additional change orders and will seek funds to complete critical controls before commissioning.
Town officials updated the Board of Selectmen Aug. 20 on the wastewater treatment-plant project: construction is substantially complete, but necessary SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) upgrades remain outstanding and were rebid after initial quotes came in either too high or noncompliant with specs.
The town sought SCADA bids to provide software and communications that control valves and flows between wells, tanks and the plant. Two early bids were discarded — one because it exceeded available funds and another due to specification problems. Revised specifications were returned the afternoon of Aug. 20; quotes supplied do not yet include general-contractor markup or electrical work, and staff anticipates a change-order request before any additional work is awarded (Town administrator, SEG 3369–3388).
DPW and plant staff said some SCADA components exist in varied legacy systems and some devices are roughly 20 years old; officials noted it is both more economical and safer to bring SCADA online before commissioning rather than retrofit later. Finance staff said the original town-meeting article (circa 2019) for $5 million grew to bids near $8.5 million, requiring additional appropriations and use of ARPA funds; town staff have been balancing multiple funding sources to cover shortfalls.
Officials stressed lead times and market conditions affected the schedule, and that adding SCADA properly now will lower long-term maintenance and operational risk. The board asked for more frequent progress updates on major projects and a timeline for completing SCADA components before startup.
Provenance: update begins at SEG 3369; bid and funding discussion continues through SEG 3560.
Ending: Town staff will return with updated bid numbers, a recommended change order if required, and an accounting of funding sources to complete the SCADA installation prior to bringing the plant fully online.
