Pikeville cuts contracts to proceed with sewer plant
By Sam Atkins
Published in News on November 12, 2004 1:58 PM
PIKEVILLE -- The town board has taken the next step toward building a new sewage treatment plant by cutting the contract prices by about $1.4 million to meet the project's budget.
The board adopted a resolution Thursday that tentatively awards two construction contracts. The contracts are subject to approval by the N.C. Division of Water Quality and the N.C. Local Government Commission.
The first is a contract for $2,574,338 to T.A. Loving Co. for construction of the plant.
The other is a contract for $763,389 to L.-J. Inc. in Columbia, S.C., for repairing and replacing old sewer pipes and other work.
The contracts had come in higher than the town's budget for the project, so the board cut $194,662 from the T.A. Loving contract and $1.2 million from the L-J contract.
The project is expected to take a year and will cost a total of $4.1 million.
The board expects to receive a $3 million grant and a $500,000 loan from the N.C. Division of Water Quality, a $400,000 grant from the N.C. Rural Center, and $65,000 from a sales tax refund.
The town will also put in $60,000 from the sewer fund and $65,000 from state road grants.
The board also voted to apply for a $500,000 loan from the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund.
The overall project includes building a new sewage treatment plant, upgrading the old pipes, refurbishing the water tower and increasing the size of the town's waste spray field. The project also would use treated wastewater for irrigation.
The board also adopted an agreement for engineering fees with McDavid Associates for $179,840.
Tyndall Lewis of McDavid Associates recommended that the plant's capacity be expanded from 99,000 to 140,000 gallons a day, and the state has approved this.
The increased capacity means the town needs to buy more land. The board will pay $225,000 for 38 acres to spray treated wastewater. The land is off of Big Daddy's Road outside of town limits, said Town Clerk Kathie Fields.
Lewis said he expects work to begin in January or February, and the plant to be completed by February 2006. The sewer improvements should be completed before then.