The Pine Bluff Wastewater Utility is gearing up to start two rehabilitation projects and continue with another project to upgrade its sewer system to provide better service to customers. David Poe, the utility’s technical services/GIS Supervisor, discussed the project Monday at the wastewater utility’s meeting. One project is to build a new sewage pump station along the Hazel Street and Taylor Phillips Road and is expected to cost $2 million.
Existing pump stations in that area are pumping sewage six-and-a-half miles to Kansas Street, which is placing too great of a strain on them.
“We will be meeting with Crist [Monday] morning to see where they are in the evaluation process,” Poe said. “There will be some flow monitors that are scheduled to be installed [Tuesday] to evaluate the flow of the pipes and some pressure gauges that will be installed Wednesday to test the pressure when the line is charged.”
The utility generated an additional $1.65 million through a 2015 rate increase, which will be used to pay for the project, along with funding improvements at the Boyd Point Treatment Plant. Part of the money will also be used to increase the operations and maintenance expenses for an aging collection system dating back to 1888. The Pine Bluff Wastewater Utility has signed a contract with Crist Engineers for $380,000 to design schematics for the proposed sewage pump station. Poe visited the location in question, took pictures, and showed them at the meeting while discussing the project.
Pine Bluff Wastewater Utility General Manager Ken Johnson explained that Crist Engineers will obtain data that will indicate the increase pressure on the wastewater that is flowing through the existing line.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“By knowing that, they can ascertain exactly what size the station will be and all the other factors that will be required with the new pump station,” Johnson said.
The utility may have to purchase a property and is awaiting to hear from Crist. The utility owns a right of way, which is a clearing between trees. The system is already over-taxed on a clear weather day and is further exacerbated by precipitation, Johnson said.
“We’ve experiences some problems,” Johnson said. “We’ve had the line break in some places. It had to do with older pipes being replaced. We fixed those areas by putting in some PCP pipes but the pressure situation and the amount of wastewater that we have to treat still exists.”
Customers will still keep their sewer service without interruption during the rehabilitation projects, Johnson said. Trucks will be parked along the roads for a period of time, necessitating motorists to take a slight detour, Johnson said. In other project news, Poe discussed a cured-in-place piping rehabilitation project and a manhole rehabilitation project. These projects should cost a total of $500,000.
“The CIPP project is about 11,000 feet of liner, which is a little larger than last year,” Poe said. “We are looking at 22 to 25 manholes, which is in the same ballpark as last year. We are progressing along with that project as well.”
The utility will hold a meeting Wednesday with CIPP contractors, who want to submit a bid on these projects, Poe said. The winning bid will be opened on June 6; the contractor should start construction work around July 1 and finish by mid-October, Poe said.
“We give them the opportunity to walk every step of the project and ask any questions they might have,” Poe said. “That way we get good bids.”
“We won’t infringe on holiday schedules as we have in the past,” Poe said regarding the time frame. “Everything is going smoothly.”
In employee accomplishment news, Ken Johnson recognized three employees for earning awards at the annual Arkansas Water and Wastewater conference in Hot Springs earlier this spring. Johnson congratulated Vincent Miles for winning the 2016 Water Environment Federation (WEF) Laboratory Analyst Award; Stacy Carpenter for winning the 2016 Pretreatment Professional of the Year; and David Poe for winning the 2016 WEF Sidney Bedell Award. Commissioners clapped and uttered kind congratulatory words.
In auditing news, BKD certified public accountant and auditors partner Andy Richards discussed his company’s conducting an audit of the Pine Bluff Wastewater Utility. Richards said the city does not follow generally acceptable accounting principles [GAAP] whereas the utility does follow GAAP.
“The highlight of 2015 was auditing the city’s pension plan in order to record the net pension liability on the utility’s financial statements,” Richards said via conference call.
“The utility’s net position did not decline a lot from the adjustment,” Richards said. “As far as our accounting opinion, we are positioned to issue a clean opinion on the financial statements. We had no issues as far as significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in internal controls. Ken and [Pine Bluff Wastewater Utility controller] Shanta [Blanks] and all the staff are doing an excellent job on the financial reporting side.”
Commissioners Lafayette Woods Jr., Lloyd Holcomb Sr., Carolyn Ferguson and Paul Bennett attended the meeting and heard about the aforementioned matters. They did not vote on the audit. In financial news, they approved a financial statement for the month of April 2017. It shows total revenue of $526,296 and total expenses of $438,051. Commissioner Vandora Demery was absent.