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Hopewell council reviews $21M in priority repairs, staffing gap and three options for wastewater plant
Summary
Councilors heard consultants outline a Dewberry engineering assessment and a Hazen & Sawyer staffing study for the Hopewell Water Renewal Treatment Facility that identified roughly $21 million in high‑priority capital needs, a recommended staffing increase of 17 positions (a 15‑FTE gap) and three strategic options: recruit a new GM, outsource operations, or pursue a sale/P3; council asked staff for financial and rate analyses and circulated an RFP for executive recruitment.
City council received a multi‑hour briefing on the condition, costs and management options for the Hopewell Water Renewal Treatment Facility, where an engineering assessment and a staffing study identified major capital needs and operational shortfalls.
Bob, a member of the consultant team, told council that “the Hopewell Water Renewal Treatment Facility currently treats, as you all know, 27,000,000 gallons of wastewater a day,” serving the city, Fort Lee and nearby industry. He said the plant’s condition and financial position make it critical to local manufacturing and the city’s budget stability.
Heather Ness, the project presenter, summarized two consultant reports: a Dewberry condition assessment and a Hazen & Sawyer staffing evaluation. She said the Dewberry work prioritized repairs into three buckets and put high‑priority items at about $21,000,000, medium priorities at roughly $420,000 and…
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