By Andrea Abney, The Montesano Vidette , 6/14/2001
The Elma City Council finalized wording on the waste water treatment plant construction contract Monday, opening the project up for bids at 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.
The council decided to set the engineering cost at approximately $519,000, with $545,000 allowable for unforeseen costs and changes.
"This is an estimate on (Gibbs & Olson, Inc.'s) part that this is the hours it'll take to do the A, B & C part of the work," public works director Jim Starks said.
This means that the project's engineering and construction management should be done for $519,000, and any increased need for funds must be brought before the council for approval. The council could have decided to stick with the $545,000 figure, meaning an extra 5 percent increase would be allowed by G&O without having to come before the council.
"I've never seen a perfect set of plans or specs," G&O design engineer Dick Riley said. "There'll be things that happen out there. They just happen."
Engineering consultant Mike Wolfe said even the $545,000 is less than the $580,000 allocated by the Department of Ecology grant the city of Elma accepted at its May 7 meeting.
Much of the wording dealt with in the contract Monday night had to do with liability and insurance issues, whether or not G&O or the city would be responsible for delays and unforseen occurrences.
City attorney Dan Glenn and Riley went back and forth on issues of negligent and intentional acts, and who would cover what in the event something went wrong.
"I think it's clear what's included and what's not," Riley said. "The $519,000 doesn't cover every situation. Those things not covered, we've included."
Riley added that the money does cover all expected and anticipated situations dealing with construction.
"As long as the council's comfortable with that concept , Glenn said.
G&O has worked with the city of Elma on various projects during the past five or six years, Riley said, including replacing old sewer lines and improvement of the water system plan. The firm's role in the wastewater treatment plant construction will include observing the contractor's work, coming up with an operator's maintenance manual and assisting in startup service.
Another issue the council discussed dealt with the land for the new treatment plant. Not all the land has been acquired by the city. but Wolfe said this is nothing to worry about. Council member Mark Doyle expressed a desire to wait until the city had "all its ducks in a row" bit Wolfe and Starks disagreed, saying this aspect of the project is separate from the construction contract.
"I feel it's important to do the best we can to have a unanimous decision on the contract." Wolfe said.
Wolfe said it comes to about 1 percent of the area to be used, owned by a couple of families, and should be acquired by the end of the summer. That land isn't required to begin work on the plant, he said.
"(Even) if we don't use them," Starks said, "the plant will still function."
Wolfe estimated that 12, potentially 15 general contractors have plans on the project, coming from Oregon, Washington and Idaho. To put this in perspective, the upcoming 11th Street project has just four general contractors and two material suppliers bidding.
The council plans to award the bid at 7 p.m. June 18 during its meeting at city hall. Work on the plant is set to begin July 15.
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