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New wastewater plant on track |
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Thursday, 12 March 2009 |
By DEBORAH McCASLIN
Chief Publisher
It’s official. Broken Bow is one of 16 Nebraska communities tapped to receive funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to build a new mechanical wastewater treatment facility.
The plan was already underway, deemed not optional by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.
The stimulus package not only helps move the project along, it will significantly reduce average monthly bills, said Broken Bow Utilities Manager Mike Lucas at Tuesday evening’s city council meeting.
“It (the stimulus grant) is going to save the city a lot of money,” he said.
The city had filed with the NDEQ during the 2009 Intended Use Plan process that a new mechanical wastewater treatment facility plan was in the works. The community was issued a notice of violation effective Jan. 1, 2006, and given a four year window to take care of said problem.
The renovations were initially eligible for financing through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, making a 20-year load at an interest rate of 3 percent available to the city. The average residential user rate was raised from $6.40 to $11.40 at that time in anticipation of the project, with an additional rate increase planned for the future.
A public hearing was conducted Sept. 28, 2008 explaining the need in detail.
Mayor Mac McMeen received a letter at the end of last week confirming that the community was now eligible for funding through the stimulus package.
“I didn’t think any of the (Wastewater Treatment Plant) moneys would come to rural Nebraska. I was wrong,” said Lucas.
The project will upgrade the existing lagoon wastewater treatment to a SBR mechanical plant constructed immediately north of the city’s 4-cell lagoon system. The current system was built in 1972.
The funding comes in the form of a grant plus low-interest funding to pay for the estimated project cost of $5,055,000. Under the offer the community would receive a 20-year load at two-percent interest for $2,527,500; a 20-year loan at 0 percent interest for $1,263,750 and a grant for $1,263,750. The grant funding will be administered by the NDEQ.
Six bids were received when the project as the project was let out, with over a million dollars spread between high and low. Rutjens of Tilden placed the low bid at $3,067,000. The construction project is expected to take at least a year.
Nebraska is to receive approximately $20 million dollars of financial assistance through the ARRA for the construction of wastewater projects, also known as Clean Water projects.
“These projects meet two important criteria,” Gov. Heineman said in a press release announcing the Clean Water Recovery funds, “They represent some of the most pressing needs for communities and are projects that are ready to move forward. In this case, stimulus funding will be combined with an existing loan program and help projects get started sooner.”
The annual surveys by the NDEQ looks at wastewater infrastructure needs, prioritizes projects and awards low-interest loans through these Clean Water Recovery funds.
The $20 million in funding from the stimulus package has been combined with $34 million from Clean Water Recovery moneys.
For Broken Bow, it’s been a long time coming, Lucas emphasized Tuesday evening. A year or so ago the NEDQ told the community they weren’t going to “add one more bathroom” until something changed.
Members of the Board of Public Works said they were “tickled” by Broken Bow’s selection.
“We’ve been out of compliance in the water treatment plant for years,” said Public Works board member Gene Chapin. “This has worked out for us; it will help the citizens of the community.”
Other communities selected for wastewater projects include: Ainsworth, Cedar Bluffs, Chadron, Coleridge, Dorchester, Gothenburg, Lincoln, Malcom, Oakland, Omaha, Scottsbluff, Sidney, South Sioux City, Tekamah and Western.
In the letter to the mayor, NDEQ Director Michael Linder stated that preference will be given to projects that can be started and completed expeditiously, and that a representative of NDEQ would be contacting the community within the next week to confirm the city’s commitment and the community’s ability to move forward quickly.
Lucas said the project will take a year to complete.
Other items included on Tuesday’s City Council agenda included:
-- Allowing the Street Department to advertise for bids on the purchase of a crawler/loader for use at the CD cell.
-- Voting to declare a series of out buildings on North 12th Avenue as unsafe, as well as a storage facility on South A between South 12th and South 13th.
-- Taking to vote, for a formal approval to go forward with Phase II of the Quiet Zone. This includes sending a letter of intent to BNSF and the state the city’s desire to close the 14th street railroad closing.
- A lengthy discussion between members of the Utility Board and the Council concerning the renting of the building on North 5th. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 19 March 2009 )
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