Pine Bluff Wastewater Utility officials have met with three engineering firm representatives to discuss building a new pump station near Taylor Phillips Road and Interstate 530.
Utility general manager Ken Johnson estimates the project will cost between $1.5 million and $3 million. He expects his staff to choose the company within a few weeks. This company will design the pump station, construct the facility and put it into operation. He expects construction to begin in 2018.
Johnson said the engineering companies are Garver, Crist Engineers and McClelland Engineers. Representatives of these companies visited the utility and gave a formal presentation regarding their qualifications.
“All three firms are reputable firms,” Johnson said. “We’ve worked with all three before. It’s just a matter of selecting the firm that we feel would be best suitable for doing this work for this utility.”
The utility generated an additional $1,650,000 through a 2015 rate increase, Johnson said. This revenue will be used to pay for this project, improvements at the Boyd Point Treatment Plant, and to increase the operations and maintenance expenses for an aging collection system dating back to 1888.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“We won’t have the actual amount of revenues until the annual audit is completed for the year the rate increase was originally implemented,” Johnson added via email.
The Taylor Philips Street pump station moves wastewater from southern Pine Bluff to the Kansas Street pump station in northeastern Pine Bluff.
Johnson asked each firm to present their engineering experience and expertise specific to the scope of this project.
Pine Bluff currently operates 50 pump stations. The city is very flat, which does not help in the underground movement of sewage.
In other project news, Johnson said there will be replacement of old pipes at several locations in Pine Bluff. They are nearing the end of their natural life.
In Summit Poultry news, Pine Bluff Wastewater Utility Commission members Lloyd Holcomb Sr., Carolyn Ferguson, Vandora Demery, and Paul Bennett heard from the utility’s environmental compliance officer Vincent Miles.
In late January, Summit paid $15,894.37 of which $14,644.37 was outstanding debt and $1,250 was for a permit. Summit agreed to pay a remaining $15,247.07 in 12 monthly installments. Summit will not have to pay another $10,000 of the more than $41,000 in original debt.
Miles said the utility has issued the wastewater permit to Summit.
“As far as I can tell, there is no process activity going on,” Miles said. “I’ve been watching.”
Miles relayed a conversation with a Summit representative who told him the company had planned to begin operations on Feb. 15.
“But they had some maintenance issues that were more important,” Miles said. “I drive by there and I haven’t seen any process activities.”
Holcomb added that “the ball is in their court.”
In financial news, Johnson said the utility brought in revenues of $597,381.50 in January and incurred expenses of $495,531.05 in the same month. The commission approved the financial report.
Commissioner Lafayette Woods Jr. was absent.