Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ashland approves sewer department purchases including replacement lift-station pump
Summary
Council authorized the purchase of a replacement pickup truck for sewer operations and approved procurement of a replacement submersible pump for the Northeast Regional Lift Station, opting for a smaller 30-horsepower pump as a cost-saving compromise while staff said it provides needed redundancy.
The Ashland Board approved two items related to sewer operations: a truck purchase for the sewer department and procurement of a replacement submersible pump at the Northeast Regional Lift Station.
Staff requested authorization to purchase a Ford F-150 standard cab pickup from Mockins Ford for $41,264 to replace a vehicle that had been sold before delivery; the action rescinds a prior resolution authorizing a $44,294 vehicle. The board voted to approve Resolution 2025-61.
On the lift-station pump, staff explained that a 64-horsepower pump was damaged in an electrical event in January 2022 and was deemed unserviceable. A direct replacement would cost about $59,574 with lengthy lead times, staff said. The utility director presented an alternative: installing a smaller 30-horsepower pump costing $26,050.20 and addressing control-panel replacement later. "So basically what I did is kind of look through the pump curves...we can get away with a 30 horse at roughly half the cost rather than just put a 64 in there," the utilities staff member said.
Council members asked whether the smaller pump would handle future connections (including a possible airport tie-in) and whether installing a smaller pump could discourage development. Staff and engineering input said the 30-horse option could handle the expected flows and offered a practical compromise while preserving the ability to re-install a larger pump later if development warranted it. The board moved, seconded and approved Resolution 2025-62 to procure the replacement pump.
Why it matters: replacing the pump restores redundancy at a duplex lift station and reduces the risk of costly bypass pumping and potential sewer overflows. The board chose the smaller, lower-cost pump to balance present conditions and budget constraints while acknowledging future upgrades may be needed with substantial development.
Next steps: staff will purchase the approved equipment and schedule control-panel work at a later date; engineering will continue to assess system needs as development and airport connections evolve.
