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City council approves payment for wastewater treatment facility contractor

Editor
Posted 2/5/10

By Kim ThompsonStaff WriterWith some misgivings, the Fayette council approved paying $193,794 to the contractor who has built the new wastewater treatment facility. They also received some daunting …

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City council approves payment for wastewater treatment facility contractor

Posted

By Kim Thompson
Staff Writer

With some misgivings, the Fayette council approved paying $193,794 to the contractor who has built the new wastewater treatment facility. They also received some daunting news about the deteriorated status of the city hall building at their regular meeting Tuesday.

Leann McClanahan of USDA-Rural Development attended the meeting. She strongly recommended the council approve payment of half of the retainage fee ($193,794) to the general contractor, Sterling Excavation.

“The contractor has met all of the requirements of the contract,” McClanahan said. The wastewater treatment facility has been fully functional since Dec. 29. Since then, a few construction items have been completed. The only sticking point is how much sludge has been removed by Phillips Grading of Boonville. Phillips Grading reports it has removed 6,478 dry tons of sludge. MECO Engineering estimates it was more likely 1,060 dry tons. The problem is that soil samples were not taken before, during and after the sludge removal process as specified by the contract.

Sterling Excavation has accepted MECO’s estimate and submitted a bill that adds $160,712 for sludge removal making the total cost to be $293,715.

McClanahan said, “We can agree to disagree so we can move on.”

Wally Eaton and Jan Addison were pointed in their criticism. Eaton said, “They [the subcontractor] didn’t complete the job right. Their negligence caused this [question about how much sludge was removed].”

Addison spoke directly to Pat Ryan, president of Sterling Excavation, the general contractor, when she said, “Nobody knows what the correct numbers are [amount of sludge removed] because you failed to monitor.” She added, “It’s not the way to do business.”

Despite their comments, Eaton and Addison joined other council members in unanimously approving the total cost of sludge removal.

The city still holds $193,794 (a final five percent) which will be paid after Sterling Excavation has turned in proof of payment to subcontractors and government agencies have signed off on the project.

They also approved $11,215 to MECO Engineering for engineering services provided during the month of December.

City Hall badly in need of renovation

A recent inspection of City Hall indicated serious concerns with the building’s basement and electrical wiring as well as an issue with mold.

Building Inspector Angie Malone listed a number of concerns for the  nearly century-old building (it was built in 1925):

• Cracked windows and buckling boards allow water to enter into the basement area which causes both floor rot and mold. “With the constant wetness, rotten wood and asbestos, there is a mold issue that is a hazard to the public that does business [in city hall] and to the city’s employees,” Malone wrote in her report.

• Old wiring needs to be replaced.

• The breaker box in the basement is overloaded after the city installed a new heating and air conditioning system.

• Baseboard heaters in the upstairs are a fire hazard.

• Water lines that supply the toilet need to be replaced.

• The ceiling in the administrator’s office needs repaired due to the upstairs toilet leaking.

• The upstairs carpet needs to be removed due to water damage.

City Administrator Robin Overstreet said she was searching for grants that help municipalities with facility maintenance.

Property declared dangerous

The council declared the building at 407 Oaklawn to be dangerous. They directed City Building Inspector Angie Malone to give 30 days notice to the owner to demolish the building. If the building is not demolished by that time, or the owner does not appeal the decision, the city will demolish the property and charge the owner by placing a lien on the property taxes. (That is, the property owner must pay the cost of the demolition along with property taxes owed.)

They came to this conclusion after a public hearing about the property at which Malone and City Attorney Mike Conway were present. The owner, Tony Wilson, was absent. Malone told the council that the building has a deteriorated roof, walls and floors in addition to an unsound foundation.

In other business, the council:

• Approved an agreement with Thomas Hill Public Water Supply District to maintain a pipe connection previously used for Prime Water but now to be used for emergency water supply.

• Noted Angie Malone’s recent completion of requirements to be a certified pool operator.

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