Project planners with Cochran Engineering say Marthasville’s new well and massive water tank won’t be in service until at least a month later than they first expected, with final site …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active subscription, or you are a print subscriber who had access to our previous wesbite, then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you have not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
If you are a current print subscriber and did not have a user account on our previous website, you can set up a free website account by clicking here.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
Project planners with Cochran Engineering say Marthasville’s new well and massive water tank won’t be in service until at least a month later than they first expected, with final site work completed in late 2022.
Engineer Ryan Johanning told the city’s board of aldermen on Oct. 20 that the new water system could go into service around August 2022, with the full project completed by November. Engineers had previously predicted the in-service date would be in July.
Johanning told the board that further consultation with potential contractors made it clear that initial timeline was too optimistic. Initial groundwork that they expected to be done by January 2022 probably won’t be finished until March, he said.
“(The schedule) was highly aggressive when we first did it, trying to push everyone to get stuff done as quick as we can,” Johanning said. “We updated the schedule after talking with some of the contractors. Working through the winter, they didn’t feel that they could complete it as quickly as the timetable. ... It’s pushed back by about two to three months, and from then on everything is pushed back.”
Johanning told the board that four contractors had attended a pre-bid meeting for the well/tank project. Construction bids for site grading and groundwork have now been submitted, and are being reviewed by Cochran ahead of aldermen selecting a contractor in November.
Johanning added that engineers are also working to refine their cost estimate for the overall project to account for current shifts in the price of materials and labor. Although a rough estimate of $1.4 million has been associated with the project for some time, Johanning explained that construction costs recently have been volatile and inflated.
“We want to make sure the city’s aware of what the cost may be in the future to complete the project, prior to awarding this to any contractor,” he commented.
Notably, price will be a controlling factor on the size of the new water storage tank at the site. Contractors for that phase of the project next year will be asked to submit bids for a 300,000-gallon tank and a 400,000-gallon tank.
On the whole, bigger is better for a water tank, said Mayor David Lange. If the price difference is favorable, 400,000 gallons is more capable of supporting future city growth, and now is a good time for project financing, Lange said.
“How much will that extra 100,000 gallons cost 30 years from now?” Lange speculated. “Right now, money’s cheap if we’ve got to borrow it. You can get money at 2 percent 0r 2.5 percent. I don’t know if you’re going to get times like that too often, to finance infrastructure projects that cheap.”
