Hot Springs council approves $38,000 amendment to wastewater planning contract, green-lights field assessment
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Summary
The city approved an amendment adding $38,000 to an existing AE2S wastewater facility planning contract (bringing that agreement to $96,000) and authorized a separate environmental field-services contract with American Engineering Testing to assess lagoons and disposal performance ahead of a Feb. 1 funding submission.
The Hot Springs City Council approved an amendment to its owner/engineer agreement for wastewater treatment facility planning and authorized a field-assessment contract for the system's lagoons and disposal lines.
Council moved, seconded and passed an amendment to the Advanced Engineering & Environmental Services (AE2S) agreement that “adds $38,000 to the original $58,000 agreement for a new total of $96,000,” according to the motion on the record. Separately, council approved a contract with American Engineering Testing, Inc. (AET) for environmental field services to assess operational performance of the wastewater disposal system and associated lagoons; the motion said the AET work will be funded by a future supplemental appropriation to the wastewater fund professional services budget.
Mayor Robert Nelson said both contracts are intended to support a grant application timeline: “ideally, the study will be done by February 1, so we can meet the new February 1 submission deadline to be considered for the April funding,” he said. Council members discussed that AE2S’s amendment is capped at $38,000, while AET’s cost was described in the record as limited and could rise depending on findings during fieldwork. The mayor characterized the combined work as getting the project into the $50,000–$55,000 range for planning and assessment.
Councilors asked whether a private landowner could be required to reimburse the city if the assessment leads to use of privately owned ponds; a council member asked, “is there any way that we can … have the landowner pay back that amount … in the agreement if we end up using the pond?” The mayor responded that the city is not yet at that stage but said the question will be kept in mind as the assessment proceeds.
The council approved both motions by voice vote. The council-recorded timeline and discussion indicate the AE2S amendment and the AET contract are intended to support any forthcoming grant application and to inform whether additional work or funding will be required after field assessment.
