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West Utility Commission approves low bid for multi‑year sewer "cure‑in‑place" rehabilitation
Summary
The West Utility Commission voted to award a low bid to Hemp Hill Construction for a roughly two‑year, nearly $4 million 'cure‑in‑place' sewer rehabilitation covering about 20 miles of collection pipe, part of a corrective action plan tied to Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality requirements.
The West Utility Commission voted to accept a low bid for a citywide sewer 'cure‑in‑place' rehabilitation program, staff said, approving the contract so the utility can begin a roughly two‑year project to line and restore deteriorated sewer pipe across the system.
The presenter described the cure‑in‑place approach as an internal lining process that restores pipe integrity without excavation. Staff told the commission the program is part of a corrective action plan approved by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and targets about 20 miles of collection system pipe. "Our anticipation was that we were going to spend $6.5 million on this," the presenter said, noting that the bids ultimately came in substantially lower and that the recommended low bidder was Hemp Hill Construction. Commissioners moved to accept the low bid and approved the award by voice vote.
Why it matters: The cure‑in‑place work addresses long‑standing deterioration in the collection system and is intended to reduce future failures and extend pipeline life without disruptive open‑cut repairs. Staff said the lining method saves money by avoiding excavation and restores the pipe to near‑new condition.
Key details: Staff estimated the program will take two years to complete and identified about 20 miles of pipe for lining. The project was originally budgeted at about $6.5 million; staff said the winning bid came in "just under $4 million" and that the bid tabulation in the commission packet showed the low bidder as Hemp Hill Construction (the transcript contains an inconsistent alternate spelling, "Hemp Field"). The cure‑in‑place phase is one of three components of the corrective action plan; the others are upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant and lift‑station rebuilds.
What commissioners asked: Commissioners asked whether there were questions about the scope and timing; none were raised during the motion discussion. Staff said additional, flood‑related problem areas identified during recent inspections will be included while crews are on site.
Next steps: With the commission's approval, staff will finalize the contract with the low bidder and schedule the phased work over the next two years. The project remains subject to any required state oversight tied to the ADEQ corrective action plan.
