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Oakmont gets update on wastewater-plant upgrades; council approves related payments and change order
Summary
Borough staff and contractors told council the treatment-plant clarifier and electrical upgrades are substantially complete, raised the estimate-to-complete to about $14.8 million, and the council approved several payments and a change order for the wastewater project and related construction management services.
Oakmont Borough Council received a detailed progress report on upgrades at the borough wastewater treatment plant and approved multiple payments and a change order tied to the project.
Treatment-plant staff and consultants said construction on the new clarifier tank is substantially finished and the project will increase peak capacity from roughly 5.5 million gallons per day to close to 7 million gallons per day when the new clarifier and electrical upgrades are online. The presentation described large electrical and generator work (motor control centers, new transformer installed by the utility, a new diesel generator on site) and the replacement of the chlorine disinfection system with a UV system that requires additional power capacity.
The presenter said equipment delivery and procurement remain the principal project risks, and that coordination with property owners and the railroad caused schedule and scope work changes. The project team reported an "estimate to complete" figure presented in the meeting as about $14,800,000 and estimated cumulative contract changes at about 2.3% so far.
Council approved a set of payments on the consent agenda related to roadway and wastewater work (including the final payment for the 2025 roadway-improvement project, a partial construction payment for the plant, and a construction-management invoice) and voted to approve Change Order No. 2 for the wastewater-plant upgrades, as presented during the meeting.
Why it matters: the upgrades are intended to improve the borough’s ability to treat peak wet-weather flows, meet emerging reporting or permit requirements and reduce reliance on chlorine disinfection. The financial commitments and change orders affect bond-funded project accounting and capital-fund cash flow in the short term.
What to watch: staff said the capital parks fund has lent money to cover project cash needs pending grant reimbursement and that the capital-reserve and grant-reimbursement cadence will determine cash-flow timing going forward. Council asked staff to monitor procurements and follow up on equipment delivery risks.
Speakers quoted or cited: Randy Gom, Treasurer (voice S7); plant presenter (voice S5).
