Posted: 8:00 a.m. Monday, June 9, 2014

City considers spending $4.3M on water plants

By Rick McCrabb

Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — City officials are considering spending more than $4.3million for capital repairs and upgrades at the water treatment plant and thewaste water treatment plant.

    The city is expected to recoup more thanthe cost of those upgrades, officials said. The city hopes to save $5.6 millionfor the entire savings term, according to documents from the Perfection Group,the Cincinnati company hired for the project.

    The total operational maintenance andrepair savings are expected to be $886,471 annually. The capital cost avoidanceis $858,946 per year for a five-year period. An additional maintenance/repairsand utility savings are listed at $13,763 during the construction period and$27,525 per year for a 20-year period.

    Of the $4.3 million, $916,000 will comefrom the sewer capital reserve fund, and the remaining $3.4 million will comefrom the water capital reserve fund, according to Scott Tadych, public worksand utilities director.

    City council will vote on the legislationat its next meeting on June 17. Work is scheduled to start in early August.

    Tadych told council in addition to neededupgrades of the power systems at both plants, other “critical equipment” hasreached the end of its service lifespan and needs to be replaced. Projects ateach plant include the following:

Water treatment

·                      Medium voltage switchgear replacement

·                      Replacement of two failed kathabar dehumidifications units

·                      Furnish and install new low level service pump

Waste water treatment

·                      Medium voltage switchgear replacement