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Valdosta council awards Water Treatment Plant No. 2 to Saw Cross, approves fire station and other contracts
Summary
On Oct. 9 the Valdosta Mayor and Council approved multiple infrastructure contracts: awarding the Water Treatment Plant No. 2 construction to Saw Cross Inc. after a 4–3 vote, approved a new Fire Station No. 8 bid and other repair and inspection service contracts, and authorized a $200,000 amendment to the Mud Creek plant budget.
Valdosta’s Mayor and Council on Oct. 9 voted to award the construction contract for Water Treatment Plant No. 2 to Saw Cross Inc., accepted a low bid for a new fire station, approved tank repairs and a construction-inspection amendment, and approved a budget amendment for the Mud Creek plant.
Utilities Director Jason Barnes told the council the city received four bids for the water plant and recommended Saw Cross as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder at $23,870,000. Staff also recommended a 5 percent construction contingency of $1,193,500 for a total authorization of $25,063,500. A motion to instead award the work to Terry Hunt Industries failed; the council then approved the staff recommendation on a 4–3 vote.
Barnes said the project had moved through test wells and final design, with construction anticipated to start in November and to take about 25 months to complete. He noted that the Saw Cross bid came in below the city’s allocated construction budget, allowing remaining bond funds to be redirected to other priorities.
The council also approved remodel and construction work for Fire Station No. 8. Engineer Ben O'Dowd told the council the city purchased a structure on North Fourth Street Extension and solicited four bids; staff recommended awarding the low bid to McDonald Construction at $3,680,000 with a 5 percent contingency. O'Dowd said staff had budgeted $534,086 from ARPA, $1,717,957 from SPLOST 8 and $1,611,957 from other budgeted funds for the project and that "staff was able to deliver this project under budget, which is always wonderful." The motion to approve carried unanimously by show of hands.
Other contract decisions included approval to renew a school-zone cell-phone data package with Temple at $46,040.01 (budgeted at $52,000) and awarding repair work on an elevated water tank at the former Valdosta High School to Southeastern Tank and Tower Inc. at $224,000; both measures passed unanimously.
Council also approved Amendment No. 2 to the agreement with CDM Smith to provide resident project representative inspection services during construction at a contract amount of $499,520. Barnes described a full-time RPR presence during the most critical construction months to ensure quality control and regulatory compliance; the council approved the amendment unanimously.
Separately, staff presented a requested FY2025 water/sewer budget amendment for the Mud Creek Water Treatment Plant: an increase of $200,000 to cover higher-than-expected influent TKN, nitrate and ammonia loading and the increased need for microcide. Daquita Williams said the cost increase would be offset by new nonresidential surcharge fees to be established in a revised water treatment ordinance to be presented later; the council approved the amendment.
What’s next: the council’s approvals allow the city to move forward with construction and oversight work. The water plant timeline presented by staff anticipates construction beginning in November and completion within roughly 25 months.
