Utility board recommends city approve three contracts totaling $555,091 for road, AMI and conduit work

At the April 9 meeting, the Albany Utility Board voted to recommend that the city commission approve three separate contracts covering immediate repairs, AMI support and underground electrical conduit work.

The board authorized staff to award Hatcher Tractor Service a contract of $134,950 to repair two settling areas on North Jefferson, a state route adjacent to a city building. Staff explained the northbound area required CIPP pipe stabilization and resurfacing, and the southbound area will require exploratory excavation to determine the repair scope. "There were 2 settling areas... once the cause is identified there may be... repair done or backfilling and resurfacing," the presenting staff member said. The chair moved to authorize the contract and the board voted to approve the award.

Separately, staff sought a recommendation to extend a regional network interface (RNI) support contract (vendor listed in the transcript as "Cormac") for the city's AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) communications network at a cost of $206,391.40. A staff presenter described operational savings from AMI deployment — fewer meter‑reading positions, reduced fleet costs and higher meter‑read accuracy — and estimated the program has produced roughly half a million dollars in savings related to staffing, fleet and contracted temporary meter‑reading assistance. "Since we've implemented AMI... we used to have service technicians that perform meter reading functions... we've actually went from a staffing level of 15 down to 8," staff said. The board moved to recommend the RNI contract to the city commission and voted yes.

The third recommended contract would award Comtran Group (Bid 26‑039) $213,750 to install 9,500 feet of high‑voltage conduit and 12 kV underground primary cable (including direct‑buried cable where appropriate). Staff said the firm was the lowest responsive and responsible bidder and has completed satisfactory prior work; the board voted to recommend approval.

Votes at the meeting were recorded by roll call; multiple board members answered 'yes' for each recommendation. The actions advance to the city commission for final approval.

Why it matters: The contracts address immediate public‑safety and service risks (road settling above buried infrastructure), continue critical AMI operations that staff say deliver recurring savings, and expand underground primary cable capacity.

What’s next: These recommendations move to the city commission for final contract approval; staff will proceed with necessary coordination with GDOT (for Jefferson Street, a state route) and scheduling of work once the commission acts.