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Malden BPW selects engineering firm for wastewater grant evaluation; pauses waterline work amid rising material costs
Summary
The board ranked six engineering firms for a wastewater grant, selecting Smith & Company to proceed with evaluations ahead of a Feb. 19, 2025 DNR deadline. The board also heard that the city’s waterline replacement is on hold due to unavailable pipe and sharply higher replacement costs; solar ordinance language and billing agreements with Dunklin County Sewer District #1 were discussed.
The Malden Board of Public Works on Jan. 21 ranked engineering firms for an upcoming wastewater grant and selected Smith & Company of Poplar Bluff as the highest-scoring respondent. Utility Director Ivone Smith said a draft agreement must be submitted to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources by Feb. 19, 2025.
Board members individually scored qualifications from six firms after the Request for Qualifications ran the required month; Utility Director Smith said she will contact Smith & Company to complete the evaluation.
In a related infrastructure update, Public Works Superintendent Kurt Krepps told the board the city’s waterline replacement project has been put on hold because necessary pipe and inventory are not currently available. Krepps said the Malden Airport and Industrial Park loops have not been completed and that replacing the Phase II inventory at today’s market prices would cost an estimated $1,000,000. He said he would look for suppliers and return with a rough estimate of the cost to complete the remaining loop.
During other business, Utility Director Smith reported the city has one resident with rooftop solar and a new inquiry about solar-installation regulations. The existing ordinance requires a mechanism to disconnect to avoid backfeeding; the city attorney recommended amending the ordinance to make a transfer switch mandatory. That amendment will be presented to City Council on Jan. 27, 2025.
Smith also presented proposed Billing, Payment Collection and Accounting agreements with Dunklin County Sewer District #1. The board asked the city attorney to prepare agreements that combine Billing and Collections into one service charge and to keep current charges the same. It was noted DCSD #1 plans to hire contract labor to maintain lift-station pumps and that Malden BPW staff would assist only when called and be reimbursed at hourly rates.
Next steps: Utility Director Smith will contact the selected engineering firm and prepare the draft grant agreement for the DNR deadline on Feb. 19, 2025. Public Works Superintendent Krepps will attempt to source required waterline materials and return to the board with cost estimates. The solar ordinance amendment and the DCSD agreements will be presented to City Council or returned for legal drafting as appropriate.
