WWTP superintendent makes change order, says project 'substantially complete'
Waste Water Treatment Plant Superintendent Jacob Kinkade made a change-order request and updated the Pontiac City Council on the treatment plant's project progress at its meeting Monday night at City Hall.
He also made a request for a purchase of an industrial-sized dehumidifier.
“A component of our treatment plant upgrade project was to replace our defunct tertiary filters,” Kinkade told the council. “The ones they replaced had not been operated in more than 20 years, they failed in 1992 but we were able to meet permit and requirements without them in the meantime.
“However, due to our new regulations of our nutrients, those particles house a lot of nutrients, so these filters were necessary to reach our new limits. … One issue that we ran into and did not foresee was the humidity levels in that room.”
The filters are two long drums with fine material that is used to filter treated water. Kinkade the filter is similar to parachute material and it is a “polishing step” that takes out the remaining particles.
He added that these are located in a specific room where the atmosphere is similar to an indoor swimming pool.
“We have air exchange in that room where in the warm months we pull air from the outside through it and that keeps humidity levels down to where it does not create a significant issue,” Kinkade said. “However, during the cold months, we have to refrain from running the air exchange because the heating bills (it uses large amounts of natural gas for heat) would be astronomical. We would have to do that to prevent freezing.
“The last two winters is where we've really been seeing the issue. It gets to the point where it's almost a rain forest in that room where everything is just wet because we have no way to reduce that humidity.”
Initially, Kinkade said he looked at a possible change order to take care of this. But he learned the cost was extraordinarily high — 5-to-6 times more than simply outsourcing it or doing it in house.
Kinkade told the council that he opted on outsourcing or doing in house. He said that he got three bids two of which were still rather high. He also found out that doing in house would be quite a savings. The in-house cost would be limited to the cost of the dehumidifier and the labor used by plant personnel.
The cost of the dehumidifier is $17,245 and Kinkade pointed out that the assistant superintendent is a licensed HVAC technician in Illinois. So, he can handle the installation.
Kinkade also said this has already been budgeted for and the cost will be more than half of the budgeted amount.
The council voted 8-0 to approve the purchase. Missing from the meeting were Bill Kallas and Don Hicks.
Kinkade's other address to the council was the change order request.
“I've been waiting for this night for a little over three years now,” Kinkade said. “We are 3½ years in on our waste water treatment plant project, we are substantially complete. The last component we were waiting on arrived last Thursday, the installation is taking place this Thursday. After this Thursday, all we have remaining is groundskeeping and site restoration. We're just about there.”
The change order is the 11th since the project began and this is the largest in terms of cost. Kinkade went through the 15 different items that needed changed with a total cost $182,802.
“I personally do not like change orders,” Kinkade said. “There's always that little voice in the back of my head that says change orders reflect incompetence in design, even though that's not the case. I don't like things not being accounted for.”
The money for the changes will be coming out of the contingency fund that was set up when the project started. Kinkade pointed out that contingency funds are required for such projects because changes occur for various reasons.
Kinkade said that this change order brings the total cost of the contingency money used to $873,439.It leaves a balance of unused money at $235,061, which is 21.2 percent of the original amount.
“I've been involved since the day we began discussing needing to upgrade our treatment plant over five years ago,” Kinkade said. “I've been involved in every aspect of the design, the construction, itself, it's been a real fun, but busy and interesting 3½ years but we finally got there.”
The council approved the change order by an 8-0 vote.
One approval by the council that was not unanimous was the purchase of the property at 201 S. Main St. The property, formerly owned by the late Pat Heenan, was appraised at $50,000.
City Attorney Alan Schrock explained that the city has purchased a number of properties along the Vermillion River between Play Park and the Mill Street Bridge with the ultimate goal of having a park-type development in that area.
The Heenan family approached the city and Schrock said the appraisal price was acceptable to the family.
The motion to accept Ordinance 2023-O-008 was made by John Wille with Mike Barr making the second. It did pass 6-1-1. Frank Giovanini voted against and Brian Gabor abstained.
Gabor and City Administrator Jim Woolford provided reports on the Infrastructure and Finance committees, respectively. Woolford also reported on the Fire Pension fund.
This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: WWTP super makes change order, says project 'substantially complete'
