Water project makes more progress

Tuesday, May 3, 2005

Work will continue on improvements to the Mc-Cook water system after the City Council approved a number of items concerning the project at its Monday night meeting.

The council voted unanimously to approve a bid from Elk Creek Backhoe to demolish the old booster station on West Fifth and install the new one.

The city received two bids for the project. Midlands Contracting of Kearney bid $301,500 and Elk Creek bid $285,053.

Chris Miller of Miller & Associates, the engineering firm in charge of the water tower project, said the bid came in slightly higher than engineering estimates of $267,000. He said the higher estimate may be due in part to the way sales taxes are figured by the State of Nebraska.

The original estimates were made with the assumption that the new booster station would be considered "new construction," which is exempt from sales tax. The companies bid the projects as "reconstruction or renovation," which are taxable.

The council voted 4-1 to approve a request by city staff to renovate the city's existing water wells to prepared them for new equipment that will be needed when the new water treatment plant goes online. Councilman Jim Kenny voted against the measure, arguing that the price was outside the original cost of the proposed improvement project.

Greg Wolford of the joint venture of Wolford Design and Jacobson Helgoth told him the improvements were a needed part of the overall project, and should be considered maintenance on the wells.

"If this isn't done now, Jesse (Dutcher, McCook Water Superintendent) will be back here in three or four years asking for approval to do this," he said.

The water project is currently about $500,000 below the estimated cost of $13.4 million.

The council received a report on plans for developing a deep injection well for disposal of the brine from the waste water treatment plant. Plans are to begin installing surface casing this week and begin actual drilling on May 16.

The drilling process is expected to take 10 days to two weeks.

Tests on the soil will be collected throughout the drilling process and presented to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality in order to complete the permitting process with the agency.

The council took no action on a proposal to accept or reject the offer to purchase property for the proposed addition to McCook's water well field located on property owned by Jay Hancock.

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