The Alva Utility Authority approved a bid Monday for a new water storage tank at the Young Street Tank Farm. The approval is contingent on Alva receiving loan approval from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (OWRB).
That loan was expected to be approved at the Nov. 1 OWRB meeting, but the required Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) permit was not approved. Alva Business Manager Joe Don Dunham said the permit was delayed because a DEQ staffer had been out of the office. The next OWRB meeting is Dec. 19.
Once the loan is approved, Alva can give the go ahead to Wynn Construction of Oklahoma City, the lowest and best bidder at $2,167,875. Six companies submitted bids with the highest coming in at $2,926,356.
The OWRB loan is for $2,635,000. Besides the construction, that amount includes other payments such as the engineer, permitting fees and bond counsel. Included is a $213,000 contingency fund for unexpected expenses. Only the amount needed will be borrowed from OWRB.
Dunham expects construction to start in January, and Wynn Construction will have 210 days for completion. Once the tanks are demolished, the 210 day countdown will be suspended for geophysical testing and then resumed when construction of the new tank starts. So the time from beginning to end of construction will be longer than 210 days.
The city is concerned about minimizing traffic problems for the neighborhood around Young Street, especially the drop off of students at Lincoln School. They hope to work with the school to set up an alternate drop off point at the back of the school building.
Dunham said there will be no interruption in water service from the construction. The city is not using the old tanks now, so water flow will not be affected.
The old pressure pump will be removed and a new one installed. Dunham said there will also be some changes in the fencing around the area. The new tank will be painted white.
In addition to the accepting the bid, the utility authority approved a couple of measures to adjust the budget and set up a separate account for the OWRB financing.
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