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Callaway approves impact-fee purchase to upgrade failing South Gay water loop and add hydrants
Summary
Commission approved using water impact fees to replace a failing 2-inch galvanized loop with a 6-inch main, complete the loop and add two fire hydrants; staff said three quotes were received and work will be done in-house with materials purchased from Empire Pipe (lowest quoted amount ~ $17,427).
City staff told the commission they identified about a 1,000-foot run of 2-inch galvanized looping pipe on South Gay Avenue that is failing and not performing as intended when connected to larger mains. Staff recommended upgrading the segment to a 6-inch main, installing two additional fire hydrants, and funding the materials from water impact fees while performing labor in-house.
“We've been replacing service lines and adding chase pipes under there. Our goal is to once we pave this road, we won't be doing any road cuts in the future. . . we would like to go ahead and use water impact fees, upgrade that line to a 6 in. . . and we'll also be able to add two fire hydrants to that area,” the city manager said.
Staff said the upgrade is below the city's $25,000 threshold for formal procurement and that they received three quotes; the lowest quote, cited by staff, came from Empire Pipe at about $17,427 (materials only). Commissioners asked whether shipping was included in the quote; staff said the quote showed no freight line and they had included a not-to-exceed instruction to prevent cost overruns.
The commission approved the use of impact fees and the materials purchase by voice vote.
Why it matters: Upgrading to a larger-diameter main should improve pressure and service reliability in the area, and adding hydrants is intended to improve fire protection coverage. Staff said doing labor in-house will reduce overall cost compared with a contractor-led installation.
Next steps: Staff will order materials, perform the installation in-house and coordinate final paving with the scheduled South Gay Avenue repaving project.
