Council approves Park Hill contract for five storage‑tank inspections and rehab planning

The City Council approved a professional services agreement with Park Hill to inspect five municipal water storage tanks, develop an opinion of probable cost for Grama Tank rehabilitation, and provide design, bidding and construction oversight recommendations.

City staff introduced the item as a contract that will provide detailed inspection reports and cost estimates to help the city plan a multi‑year rehabilitation program. "This is for a contract with Park Hill to do inspections of 5 of the storage tanks," staff said, adding that one tank (the north side Fort Walters tank) would not be inspected at this time.

Park Hill representative Landon described possible rehabilitation approaches for Grama Tank, including cutting and replacing the lid or installing a dome. He said, in preliminary quotes, a geodesic dome was about 30% cheaper than a steel dome but cautioned bids and warranty/long‑term performance would factor into the final design recommendation. Park Hill also explained that once a tank is disturbed for rehab it must be recertified to code and that interior coatings and structural reinforcements are part of that process.

Councilmembers asked technical and visual‑impact questions (e.g., whether a dome would be shiny on the hilltop) and clarified that the contract covers inspections and design/bid preparation only, not construction work. Staff said the FY25 budgeted $500,000 includes this service agreement and anticipated tank rehabilitation work.

Council voted to approve the agreement; the motion to award professional services to Park Hill carried unanimously (6–0).