Wellington staff seek approvals for drinking‑water tank maintenance and wastewater access upgrades

Village utilities staff asked council to authorize two items to maintain and improve water and wastewater facilities.

For the drinking‑water system, utilities staff (speaker 8) described the five‑year statutory requirement to take tanks offline, clean and disinfect them. The base price for cleaning and inspection work is approximately $138,000; staff recommended a continuing, sole‑source contract with the tank manufacturer (Crom) and included an owner contingency of $200,000 because repairs discovered during the confined‑space work can increase costs. Staff said an initial task order would be authorized up to $337,935.35 to cover inspections, cleaning, and contingency repairs.

At the water‑reclamation facility, staff proposed constructing two 36‑inch watertight manways at Aeration Basin 3 to improve access and confined‑space safety. Hazen & Sawyer designed the openings and advertised a competitive bid; the low construction bid was Crom for $188,700 (which includes a $25,000 contingency). Staff also requested a $23,910 construction‑phase work order for Hazen & Sawyer to provide inspections and submittal review during construction.

Council members asked procedural and budget questions about contingency use and confirmed that future use of the continuing contract would still require council approval depending on the amount. Staff said they hope the tanks will require minimal repairs because of good prior maintenance but stated the contingency is necessary because full conditions are unknown until tanks are taken offline.