News
Bidders tour wastewater plant facility
By Jamie Larson
Hudson City Hall was packed Tuesday afternoon with representatives from more than a dozen contracting companies all vying for a piece of the $14 million project to upgrade the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The build is broken into five different contracts covering different aspects of the large project. The group of contractors took a tour of the project’s footprint as the scale of the project came into view.
Because the WWTP project has received $4.4 million in federal stimulus funding the whole process is on an extremely abbreviated time table. Ground must be broken on the project no later then Feb. 14. After a second pre-bid conference next week, bids are due from contractors by Dec. 3, and must be finalized and awarded by January.
Project Designer Tad Johnston from Delaware Engineering, the firm heading the project for the city, spoke frankly with the contractors about the truncated schedules and the additional federal requirements due to the presence of stimulus money.
Johnston told the room that deadlines cannot be moved and if the lowest bidder cant meet the time requirements they will be passed by for the next lowest bid.
Winning contractors will have to sign a contract which Johnston called “brutal.” He said the federal government has attached a lot of requirements to the contract because of the presence of stimulus money, and makes contractors legally responsible for a list of things that could potentially go wrong. Johnston advised that the contractors push as much of that responsibility as they can down the chain to the manufacturers.
The whole WWTP project has been broken up into five contracts. The first contract is for the general construction for the plant and South Front Street pump station. The second, third and fourth contracts are for the electrical work, plumbing, and installation of heating, ventilation and air conditioning, respectively.
Contract five will be the most visible and intrusive part of the project for Hudson residents. For contract five a crew will tear a 12 foot wide trench down Front Street and replace pipe from the plant at the north end to the pump station next to the Amtrak train station. This job will most likely move in sections down the street and is contractually mandated to be completed in 210 days, unlike the rest of the project which must be done in 510 days.
It is also written into contract five that the job must be put on hold for Flag Day, Hudson’s largest citywide celebration. Since the Flag Day parade, as well as visitors, move down Front Street to the Henry Hudson Riverfront Park, the contractors must repave wherever they are working at the time and clear out for the event.
Department of Public Works Superintendent Robert Perry said closing up the Front Street hole for Flag Day is as much about public safety as it is about appearances.
WWTP Chief Operator Paul Lossi was asked if he was starting to get excited for the replacement of the current outdated and dirty plant.
“It might keep me from retiring,” Lossi joked. “I want to know what it’s like to wake up in the morning not worrying about what’s broken.”
To reach reporter Jamie Larson call 518-828-1616, ext. 2269, or e-mail jlarson@registerstar.com.
The build is broken into five different contracts covering different aspects of the large project. The group of contractors took a tour of the project’s footprint as the scale of the project came into view.
Because the WWTP project has received $4.4 million in federal stimulus funding the whole process is on an extremely abbreviated time table. Ground must be broken on the project no later then Feb. 14. After a second pre-bid conference next week, bids are due from contractors by Dec. 3, and must be finalized and awarded by January.
Project Designer Tad Johnston from Delaware Engineering, the firm heading the project for the city, spoke frankly with the contractors about the truncated schedules and the additional federal requirements due to the presence of stimulus money.
Johnston told the room that deadlines cannot be moved and if the lowest bidder cant meet the time requirements they will be passed by for the next lowest bid.
Winning contractors will have to sign a contract which Johnston called “brutal.” He said the federal government has attached a lot of requirements to the contract because of the presence of stimulus money, and makes contractors legally responsible for a list of things that could potentially go wrong. Johnston advised that the contractors push as much of that responsibility as they can down the chain to the manufacturers.
The whole WWTP project has been broken up into five contracts. The first contract is for the general construction for the plant and South Front Street pump station. The second, third and fourth contracts are for the electrical work, plumbing, and installation of heating, ventilation and air conditioning, respectively.
Contract five will be the most visible and intrusive part of the project for Hudson residents. For contract five a crew will tear a 12 foot wide trench down Front Street and replace pipe from the plant at the north end to the pump station next to the Amtrak train station. This job will most likely move in sections down the street and is contractually mandated to be completed in 210 days, unlike the rest of the project which must be done in 510 days.
It is also written into contract five that the job must be put on hold for Flag Day, Hudson’s largest citywide celebration. Since the Flag Day parade, as well as visitors, move down Front Street to the Henry Hudson Riverfront Park, the contractors must repave wherever they are working at the time and clear out for the event.
Department of Public Works Superintendent Robert Perry said closing up the Front Street hole for Flag Day is as much about public safety as it is about appearances.
WWTP Chief Operator Paul Lossi was asked if he was starting to get excited for the replacement of the current outdated and dirty plant.
“It might keep me from retiring,” Lossi joked. “I want to know what it’s like to wake up in the morning not worrying about what’s broken.”
To reach reporter Jamie Larson call 518-828-1616, ext. 2269, or e-mail jlarson@registerstar.com.
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