Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wastewater Treatment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Drummond advances wastewater upgrade with land-exchange, sludge-placement and contractor approval
Summary
The Drummond Town Council approved land-exchange and sludge-placement agreements and authorized a contractor step to meet HB355 SLIPA grant requirements, advancing a wastewater treatment facility upgrade that is 95% designed and expected to go to bid in Feb–Mar 2025.
The Town of Drummond on Dec. 17 approved a series of measures to advance a long-planned wastewater treatment facility upgrade, including a $1,000 staging-area exchange with private landowners and authorization related to sludge placement and contractor procurement.
Mayor Gail Leeper said the town approved Resolution No. 2024-20 to authorize an exchange agreement with Robert and Sherilee Lund to use a staging area for the wastewater treatment improvement project; the council confirmed the $1,000 payment in the agreement covers the entirety of that exchange. The council also approved Resolution No. 2024-21 authorizing an agreement with WM Dingwall Company for placement of sludge from the existing lagoon, but members noted the proposed placement site still must pass required Department of Environmental Quality testing and meet DEQ standards before use.
Town Attorney McGill advised the council that the contractor contract presented to satisfy HB355 SLIPA grant requirements needs additional specificity; the council approved Resolution No. 2024-23 to authorize a contract with TCS Northwest while discussing an amendment to Article 7 to permit future amendments and the need to include price, labor and a detailed scope of work to meet grant conditions. The council voted unanimously on the measures recorded in the meeting minutes.
Mayor Leeper said project design is currently about 95% complete and that the town expects to solicit construction bids in February–March 2025. Funding conversations are ongoing: Clerk/Treasurer Robin Wight participated in a recent USDA funding conference call, and bond counsel Dan Semons recommended waiting for construction bid packages before presenting potential sewer-rate figures to residents to avoid premature estimates.
The council also discussed access to the lagoon for construction and maintenance after an adjacent landowner added multiple gates to an easement route. Mayor Leeper said the town will attempt to resolve the access issue directly with the landowner; Attorney McGill will prepare an easement letter and the town could involve law enforcement if gates block necessary access during construction.
The town reported a Dec. 5 Department of Environmental Quality inspection of the lift station that found the facility clean; the inspector praised the maintenance work of town staff and contractor assistance. Separately, the council tabled Resolution No. 2024-22, a proposed maintenance agreement with Xylem Water Solutions, for a future agenda and requested that Drummond's Xylem representative attend the January meeting to discuss maintenance timing and details.
Next steps recorded in the meeting: finalize contract language to satisfy HB355 SLIPA grant requirements, complete required testing for any proposed sludge-placement site, and move the nearly finished design to the bidding phase in early 2025.
