Votes at a glance: board approves procurement changes, AMI program expansion and multiple construction contracts

The ONWASA board of directors on July 5 approved a series of procurement and capital actions across operations and infrastructure.

Purchasing policy updates: The board adopted amendments to the purchasing policy to require earlier travel-authority documentation for non-emergency travel, to align approval thresholds with state procurement practice (delegating purchases under $30,000 to staff), and to add reverse auction as an authorized procurement technique to help lower costs on commodity purchases such as treatment chemicals. Mr. Adams presented the changes as a stopgap while staff prepares a comprehensive policy update next fiscal year (Mr. Adams).

AMI meters — sole-source authorization and Phase 3: The board authorized a sole-source procurement to purchase Sensus (a Xylem brand) AMI meters through Ferguson Enterprises to standardize meters and ensure compatibility with advanced metering features. Directors supported standardization for operational consistency and leak detection despite acknowledgment that Sensus meters may come at higher unit costs. The board also adopted an amended project ordinance and corresponding budget amendment to proceed with Phase 3 of the AMI rollout, which Mr. Adams said will add about 8,600 meters in the Sneads Ferry area and bring the local AMI network to roughly 12,000 meters (≈20% of customers).

Southeast wastewater expansion (EWP3C): The board approved contract amendment 2 for Early Works Package 3C — covering a new electrical precast building, main switchgear, an emergency generator and related equipment — in the amount of $7,890,068.18, for a total contract figure presented in the meeting as $40,080,848.61. The amendment authorizes TA Loving and the Wootton Company as the progressive design-build partners; the CEO is authorized to execute related documents (Rohr).

Dixon production wells and pipeline: Directors approved two single-prime construction contracts to add two production wells (D4R and D12) and to install approximately 2,200 linear feet of 16-inch and 4,550 linear feet of 12-inch pipe to feed the Dixon treatment plant. Contract awards were presented as $2,589,701 to AC Schultes of Carolina Inc. (wells) and $612,270 to Carolina Utilities, LLC (pipeline). Staff said initial well tests show each new well can yield about 1,500 gallons per minute and that monitoring systems and sentinel wells will be used to guard against unintended impacts on a nearby contamination plume.

Sign-location lease notice: The board authorized staff to publish notice for a proposed 10-year billboard lease on recently acquired property at 135 Church Road in Hubert; the draft lease sets a rent floor and allows for additional rent tied to gross receipts with audit rights.

Votes and procedural notes: Most approvals were adopted by voice vote; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the minutes. Directors debated emergency travel-authority language, vendor-dependence risk for a sole-source meter procurement, and the tactics for pursuing federal support with municipal partners.

Provenance: these items are discussed across the meeting; primary segments for votes and motions begin at SEG 120 (purchasing policy) and continue through SEG 1644 (billboard notice and subsequent actions).

Speakers quoted are listed in the meeting roster.