HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-07-10 - MinutesCity Council Water & Sewer Meeting Minutes
July 10, 2007
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Member Aldermen
Mayor Dan Coady Ward 1 Position 1 — Adella Gray
V10
Ward 2 Position l - Kyle rt Cook
CityAttorney Kit Williams � 1 Ward 3 Position 2—Robert Ferrell
Ward 4 Position 2 - Lioneld Jordan
City Clerk Sondra Smith ARKANSAS
City of Fayetteville Arkansas
City Council Water & Sewer Committee
Meeting Minutes
July 10, 2007
A meeting of the Fayetteville City Council Water & Sewer Committee was held on July 10, 2007
at 5:15 p.m. in District Court Room located at 100 West Rock, Fayetteville, Arkansas.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Alderman Kyle Cook, Chair; Alderwoman Adella Gray;
Alderman Lioneld Jordan; Alderman Robert Ferrell
STAFF PRESENT: David Jurgens; Paul Becker; Ron Petrie; Billy Ammons (OMI)
Chairman Kyle Cook called the meeting to order.
1. Approve Minutes
Alderman Ferrell moved that the minutes of the Water and Sewer Committee meeting held on
June 12, 2007 be approved as submitted. Alderwoman Gray seconded the motion and it
passed unanimously.
2. WSIP Update
David Jurgens ran through the update of WSIP projects. He said things are still progressing
well. WL -1 is 99% complete. It is substantially complete but they are still doing the final
cleanup. WL -2 is proceeding and is ahead of schedule. This is the line parallel to Scull Creek.
WL -3 is also substantially complete, just completing the last testing and cleanup. He said WL -4
is about 55% complete, but they are a little behind in pipe installation. Mr. Jurgens said we are
working on that. There is a completion date in October on this project. He believes about 37% of
the pipe has been installed. He said there is nothing to be concerned about at this time but it is
something we are keeping track of. WL -5 is complete. WL -6 is getting done a little sooner than
we would like because of the warrantee kick -in. There is a change order coming forward on this
project. The change order consists of everything we had anticipated coming in. The biggest piece
on the change order is a reroute of the piping so that there can be one single point of entrance for
piping coming into this lift station. This will allow for some kind of protective screen in the
future if it is deemed necessary to protect the pumps. The pump installation replacement would
be $150,000 to $200,000 if we get a solid item going through the pipe which gets caught in the
pump. We have had some failures like this at the Noland Plant and we want to have the ability to
protect ourselves from that. He said Lynn Hyke has some experience with what has worked and
we are looking at that. Mr. Jurgens said it is far cheaper to put in this piping routing right now
than it would be after the lift station is built. He clarified that this change order is not for the
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screen that would protect the pumps but for the re-routing of the pipes which will allow us to put
in the protective screen in the future
In response to a question from Alderman Ferrell, David Jurgens said he has not priced out the
protective screen. Just as a ballpark figure, he mentioned around $100,000. He said replacement
of a pump could be well over $150,000. He said this change order amount is well within the
contingency. It has been reviewed by the engineer and the contractor. They have ordered all the
raw materials and don't expect any other change orders to be coming along on this project.
Alderman Cook asked if there are any delays such as late submittals, materials and approvals
for this project.
David Jurgens said there is nothing that will affect the completion date of the project. In fact it
appears the pump station may be completed early. If that is the case, we will accept that
completion. We have spent some time working through and planning the start up and testing of
all the components of the plant, start up with the lift station itself and how we can test individual
pumps, moving water from the lift station to the plant and within the three different sections of
the plant. There has been a great deal of planning going into how we will put this thing into
operation. OMI has done a lot of planning to determine how much load we want to start with to
make sure we have enough to be sustainable but not so much that we have problems with any of
the hardware once we actually get bugs in the plant. Also, to determine what section to the City
we'll start running first. Even though we are ten months away from start up we are getting into
the details to try to figure out how to make it all work. Even in the month of start up our goal will
be to meet our permit requirements. We want to start the water coming in such that effluent is
discharged, if possible, during the first week of the month. We get graded on a month to month
basis and each month is a new report card. Starting early in the week on the first week of the
month gives us the maximum time to stabilize the process. So we are now looking at the specific
dates we want to start running water into the plant and then in turn start running effluent out of
the plant. Our goal is to start running water into the plant and produce effluent the first full week
of May of 2008, with the backup of running water into the plant the last week of May so we
could start discharging effluent on the first full week of June.
In response to a question from Alderman Ferrell, David Jurgens repeated that we are shooting
for May for substantial completion, which is defined as when the WWTP & system are able to be
used. He said we are also trying to define the specific dates which will be best for permit
compliance. For the record he said we are still on budget and from everything we can see we are
on time to meet the May (2008) target.
David Jurgens continued that the WL -7 Gregg Avenue lift station project has been awarded but
no substantive work has yet been done. He said that Wilson Brothers (EP -1 wet weather basin)
has had a little trouble getting their insurance straight. He said they have not produced a
certificate of insurance that meets specifications. If they cannot do this we'll have to go to the
second low bidder. He'll have to talk to the City Attorney to find out what would need to be
done. Mr. Jurgens continued that the Noland WWTP Oxygen Injection project is moving
forward. Broyles Road construction has begun and they have completed the majority of the
clearing and are making progress. He said staff is expecting the contract with Geosyntec
Consulting to come forward to the Council at the first meeting in August. He said the details of
the contract were presented to the Committee a month or two ago and now the contract will be
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presented to the Council. He said things are going okay with the West Side Backup Power
project and West Side WWTP construction is going well
a. WSIP Farmington Area Work
No discussion
b. WSIP Easement Update
No discussion
C. WL -6 Change Order Number 2
Discussed in earlier update.
d. Wetlands Mitigation Update
e. Wetlands Expansion/Mitigation Bank Discussion
Mr. Jurgens said he had been a little frustrated with the company out of Texas (Greenscaping,
contracted to do the wetlands mitigation) because they have been slow getting up here but the
delay has turned out to be a good thing. He said by virtue of having built the berms (Brasfield
and Gorrie did this), pulling the cattle off the land and selectively herbicide spraying some of the
undesirable plant species, we have gone from 51 desirable plant species to 266 species. The
wetlands is repairing itself free of charge.
Alderman Ferrell asked who had inventoried the plant species.
David Jurgens said Bruce Shackelford is our lead for ECO and he has another expert working
with him. He said when the situation was described to the contractor (Green Scaping) they
suggested closing out the contract. There is still some work that needs to be done, such as some
herbicide spraying and burning. He has been working with the fire department to see if we can
get a controlled burn done in-house, maybe in the form of a training exercise. He said a year ago
we were talking about using more of the Westside Treatment plant site as a wetlands bank with
ANRC. That was shot down by the Corp of Engineers. However Mr. Jurgens went out and
walked the area with a representative from the Corp a few weeks ago and he said they do think
they would be amenable to using the area immediately west of the wetlands mitigation site as a
wetlands bank. The berms could be used for walking trails and we could integrate the two areas
and connect Broyles Road and 54t1i Avenue with one larger wetlands facility that it is fact a
wetlands park.
Alderman Ferrell asked if there is any downside in the long term in doing this.
David Jurgens reviewed a map in the agenda packet, pointing out the area being reserved for
plant expansion. He said none of this area would be used for wetlands. The land being discussed
right now would not be used for wastewater treatment. He said he does not see any downside to
this wetlands park. He said he foresees a really nice facility for the public. And also, if the
ordinance is written correctly, we could sell those wetlands credits at the market value at the time
of sale. In the long term it could be a revenue generator at a fairly low construction cost. He said
the $100,000 that won't be needed for the mitigation might even cover the cost of the project. He
said he is looking for permission from the Committee to proceed forward in trying to obtain
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grants. He said there are a lot of grants out there for wetlands facilities. He said he would like to
present a resolution at the August 7 Council meeting giving the mayor authorization to apply for
grants for this purpose and also approving the intent of investigating this site as a wetlands
banking site. He said they would look at the possibility of getting corporate sponsorship of a
wetlands park.
The Committee authorized Mr. Jurgens to move forward on this.
L WSIP EL -4 Lift Station Upgrades
David Jurgens said this was brought forward several months ago. He said there are things in the
WSIP that are upgrades to existing lift stations that he believes we can do with significant cost
savings if we let the people who know and operate the lift stations do the work. He is bringing
forward three out -of -scope letter agreements for OMI to execute the work on three lift stations
(lift stations 13, 14 and 16). He said one of the lift stations is almost a replacement, converting it
all to a submersible pump.
In response to a question from Alderman Cook, David Jurgens said Garver Engineers
produced documents for this project to be bid out. They agree that OMI can do it cheaper. Staff
estimates that the cost savings could be as much as $100,000. Inspections would be done by the
engineer as well as by Lynn Hyke on the City staff.
Alderman Cook asked when OMI does this work if they have the capability of doing it in-house
or if they subcontract it out.
Billy Ammons said much of it they will do in house. The digging and concrete work they will
contract out. Much of lift station 13 will be contracted out.
David Jurgens said his recommendation is that we do this out -of -scope work agreement with
OMI. He said it is not a bid waiver.
In response to a question from Alderman Ferrell, David Jurgens said the cost plus 18% is
straight out of the contract.
Alderman Jordan moved that this item be brought forward to the City Council at the first
meeting in August. Alderwoman Gray seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
g. Contract Review — West Plant Construction Contract
David Jurgens said the City did the first municipal negotiated procurement contract in the State.
It is the largest contract the City has ever done. Our contract with Brasfield and Gorrie is going
very well and he feels it is appropriate to have an attorney who is an expert in public agency
contracting law review the contract, review the change orders and give us the lessons learned out
of this. He said he thinks this is a big enough job that it is worth an external review. He doesn't
believe it will cost too much but with a $60 million contract he thinks it would be worth it.
Alderman Ferrell asked if there was any idea what the cost would be.
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David Jurgens said the attorney would be looking at a 25 — 30 page construction contract. We
used a standard AIA contract so he would be looking at the method by which we got the contract
and the specific terms that are different. He said he would rather not guess what the cost might
be.
In response to a question from Alderman Cook, David Jurgens said if the contract is less than
$20,000 it would not have to come forward to the Council. But it would come to this committee
anyway. With the go ahead from this committee at this time, we would go forward with the
request for qualifications process.
There was further discussion about this subject It was generally agreed that it would be a
good idea to explore the subject further.
h. EL -1 and 2
David Jurgens said this was a large job broken into three contracts to attract a wider range of
bidders. The Mally Wagnon Lift Station, a brand new lift station located adjacent to the existing
one is one contract. A 16" force main is the second contract and five miles of 42" pipe is the
third contract. He said that contractors who would bid on the lift station would not necessarily
bid on the force main or pipe. He said when a pipe contractor has a mark up for a subcontractor,
there are costs involved in the oversight (making sure the subcontractors has insurance, etc.). The
WSIP staff team has established that we can do this oversight because we are going to be
reviewing all this anyway. He believes we can accomplish the oversight with these three
contracts rather than contracting the entire project out to one bidder.
Alderman Ferrell asked if the contracts are each reviewed by the City Attorney.
David Jurgens said every contract goes through the City Attorney for review. He said we did
this same thing (breaking apart a larger contract into several smaller ones) with the Farmington
Sewer Rehab project and we have done it off and on through the past years. It has been more
effective and has saved us money.
In response to a question from Alderman Cook, David Jurgens said Elkins does come into
Mally Wagnon, as do most of the developments along Hwy. 16. He continued that we will know
these bid amounts on July 31. He said these are the last of the really big contracts. There will be
an estimated $6.5 million contract to awarded next February or March.
i. WSIP Construction Schedule and Cost Update
David Jurgens said this update is provided at every Committee meeting and he distributed the
current schedule (rainbow sheet). He reviewed some of the figures. He said the rainbow sheet
changes once or twice a week with new information.
Paul Becker said we are probably about a month away from coming forward with the last piece
of the bond issue for the Water & Sewer Improvement bonds.
3. Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Proiect Update
a. Basins 1-5, 18 & 19 Sewer Rehab
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David Jurgens said he talked to the contractor today regarding the Doc Murdocks project. They
are looking at getting into that area in about two weeks. Rain has affected their schedule.
b. Farmington Area
David Jurgens said we just had the notice to proceed issued today on the Farmington area work
The contractor intends to do the Doc Murdocks work first and then they will be starting in the
Farmington area.
4. Water and Sewer Rate Study Schedule
David Jurgens said we have a Water & Sewer Committee meeting scheduled on July 26 to
discuss the rate study. We will have a report before that time. He thinks we should have the study
within a week and it will be provided to the Committee.
5. 24" Water Line — Custer and Morningside
David Jurgens said the information on this is the same as reported at the last meeting.
6. Water and Wastewater Polices and Procedures and Ordinance Updates
David Jurgens said these were handed out to the Committee last week. He said he hasn't had
time to draft the WWW -03 policy. However he included policies for the water service line, the
sewer service line and the back flow prevention ordinance in the agenda packet.
There was discussion regarding public health and safety. Mr. Jurgens stated that public health
and safety always rules.
In response to a question from Alderman Ferrell, David Jurgens said that the Water & Sewer
division works with the Health Department and ADEQ on these issues. He said the City does not
threaten to shut someone's water off if there is a sewer problem without consulting the Health
Department.
In response to a question from Alderman Cook, David Jurgens said if an illegal trespassing
(across other property) sewer or septic system doesn't cause a problem, we often don't even
know about it. When it starts causing a problem, we can handle it in a couple of different ways,
depending on the circumstances. He said we have solved hundreds of these since he has been
with the City and there are hundreds more out there. If there is a sewer main available, the City
will typically offer to make a tap at no charge to the customer with the trespassing sewer line.
They are entirely responsible for the cost of their private plumbing. That way it is a shared
burden and if there is a sewer main available, that's what they should be hooked up to, not the
one where they have to go across someone else's lot. Frequently that requires a pump being
installed. He talked about a couple of different situations and explained the process the City
typically uses. In response to a question regarding a specific situation, he said the resident who
has the trespassing sewer services will bear the majority of the cost of extending a main and the
City will do the work and will bear some portion of the cost. He said we don't normally do that
until there is a problem.
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Alderman Ferrell asked when they would get a copy of the Water & Sewer rate study.
David Jurgens said they should have it within a week or a week and a half. Regarding the back
flow prevention ordinance, he said there was some disagreement between him and the City
Attorney regarding who should do the testing. The City Attorney feels that the City should do the
testing and should not place that burden on the owners but Mr. Jurgens is adamantly opposed to
that. He said the City has no business testing someone else's plumbing; we have every business
making sure their plumbing is tested by a certified tester. When someone builds a new building
we don't test their water and sewer services. Their licensed plumber is responsible to do that. We
simply ensure that it is properly tested and watch the test.
Having received approval from the Committee on these policies, David Jurgens said he would
forward them on to the mayor for his approval and signature. The Backflow Prevention
Ordinance will go before the City Council.
7. Water and Sewer Account Physical Audit
No discussion
8. 36" Transmission Main Rehabilitation
David Jurgens said this rehab work is proceeding.
9. Scheduling the Next Water/Sewer Committee Meeting
A meeting of the Water & Sewer Committee was scheduled for Thursday, July 26, 2007 at 4:30
p.m. in Room 326 of the City Administration Building to discuss the Water & Sewer Rate Study.
Another meeting of the Water & Sewer Committee was scheduled for Thursday, August 2, 2007
at 5:00 p.m. in Room 326 of the City Administration Building.
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