5. Staff Report-Change Order 201 Improvements
Staff Report
Date of Meeting: January 7, 2015
To: City Council
From: Kristina Handt, Administrator
Re: Change Order, 201 Improvements Project
Background:
In April 2014 after a couple of meetings of the Wastewater Advisory Committee, the Council
awarded the 201 Improvements Project to Automatic Systems for $94,918. This bid was based
on using 10 foot mast atop the lift station control panel but it was noted that a radio path study
had not been completed.
The new panels and pumps were installed this fall on the Anderson/Erickson lift station and Bliss
3 and 4 lift stations. A radio path study was done next which revealed hilly terrain between the
lift stations and the fire hall. A copy of the study is included in your packet. The signal needs to
be received at the fire hall where the master SCADA system is located. The telemetry provides
an electronic report on the lift stations and alerts staff when there is a problem. Because of the
hilly terrain the original proposal to put a mast atop the lift stations will not work. Currently the
lift stations are operating but there is no electronic system to alert staff when there is a problem.
Daily rounds are completed Monday-Friday to check on the lift stations and take readings.
Issue:
Which option should be pursued in order to get the telemetry on the 201 system to work
properly?
Proposal Details:
Included in your packet is a quote from Automatic Systems with three possible solutions:
A/E Drainfield Pole: $9,987 + Easement Costs ~$2,000=$11,987
In addition to the description provided by Automatic Systems, the City would need to secure an
easement to directional drill from the lift station to the drainfield. This easement could also
encompass an existing monitoring well. The landowner has been approached and is willing to
grant the easement. The additional costs are anticipated for the survey and legal work necessary
to prepare the easement.
VHF Installation: $8,585
Initially the City chose not to go with the VHF radios because of the ongoing FCC licensure
costs which can be up to a couple hundred dollars every few years. As is noted in the estimate
from Automatic Systems, this may not address the Anderson/Erickson site and additional costs
may be needed. For these reasons, staff is not recommending this option.
90 Foot Pole at Fire Station: $5,377
In order to implement this option, the Council would need to consider an ordinance change to
exempt publicly owned utility poles from the height restrictions or the City would apply for an
Interim Use permit for Wireless Communication Antennas. An ordinance change could cost a
couple hundred dollars while an IUP could cost a couple thousand.
Regardless of which option above is chosen, staff would recommend another radio path study be
completed first to ensure that the remaining lift stations will be accounted for in the future. The
wastewater committee talked about upgrading the other two Bliss lift stations in a couple years.
The cost of a radio path study is estimated at about $1,500. Automatic Systems believes the pole
at the A/E drainfield will work with Bliss 1 and 2 but recommends a radio path study be
completed for the fire hall option due to possible foliage issues.
Options:
The options are outlined in the estimate from Automatic Systems and additional information was
provided above.
Recommendation:
Either a pole at the A/E drainfield or at the fire hall unless the radio path study says differently.
The trade offs are cost versus visual impact.