Lebanon council approves first $214,930 payment and advances option 2 for Hunter Street lift station

Lebanon — The Lebanon City Council voted Oct. 27 to approve the first payment of $214,930.80 to Air Plumbing and to advance option 2 from the Gonzales report for the Hunter Street lift station project after an extended discussion about engineering assumptions and contingency plans.

City staff introduced the payment recommendation on the council floor, saying the first payment is for the Hunter Street lift station contract. As staff put it, the recommendation was “to improve the air forming payment, the first payment, to Air Plumbing for the Hunter Street Lift Station for $214,930.80.” (Staff member)

The vote followed detailed debate about two competing approaches in the Gonzales report. A public commenter had earlier criticized the report and said “neither 1 of those alternatives meet the requirements set forth by the city,” a claim council members discussed during the agenda item. (Resident)

Council members and staff described the differences between the options. One council member summarized the risk tied to option 2: removing existing components, reinstalling them and the possibility of damage that could add months to the timeline — “that could give us up to a 6 month delay in getting the project completed,” the member said. (Council member)

Staff and engineers explained that a second‑opinion review did not include wet‑well measurements that were part of the original design, which helped drive disagreement about whether the alternatives meet the city’s requirements. City staff said that if the wet well is being used as designed it would bring the system into compliance with the original specifications.

On contingency planning, staff described continuing the current short‑term measures if equipment is damaged or replacement is required: leave portable pumps in position and have staff ready to run bypass pumping until the new station is operational. “We would continue as we have in the past … leave a person there with the pump at all times,” staff said, describing the operational fallback. (Council member/staff)

After the technical exchange the council took roll call and approved the committee recommendation to proceed with option 2 and to authorize the identified payment to Air Plumbing. Individual roll‑call responses are recorded in the meeting minutes; the motion passed and staff will proceed under the contract terms.

Why it matters: The lift station serves a portion of the city’s sewer collection system; council members said the approved work increases pump capacity at the station and addresses chronic short‑storage and pump‑cycling concerns identified in internal reviews. Council members also stressed that the approved step is one part of a broader need to locate sources of stormwater inflow into the sanitary system.

Next steps: Staff will continue monitoring the site while the contractor schedules work and will implement the temporary pump and staffing contingencies if necessary. The council set follow‑up scheduling and committed to return to committee or council when more detailed timelines are available.