HOLLISTER
– The engineering firm consulting Hollister on its long-term
sewer plan will handle more work than was initially scheduled and
will receive a 29-percent pay increase, bringing the contract to
nearly $1 million.
HOLLISTER – The engineering firm consulting Hollister on its long-term sewer plan will handle more work than was initially scheduled and will receive a 29-percent pay increase, bringing the contract to nearly $1 million.
The Hollister City Council this week approved an amended deal with HydroScience Engineers, Inc. that includes five additional projects and an increased cost of $217,000.
“There were things proposed that hadn’t been thought of,” Councilman Tony Bruscia said. “We have to turn over every stone we can.”
The city hired the firm in January 2002 to prepare a conceptual long-term wastewater plan. HydroScience already mapped an $18.8 million Long-term Wastewater Management Plan, which was passed in September by the Council. However, the city has since eliminated much of that design, Public Works Director Clint Quilter said, and is searching for alternatives.
The projects under way by HydroScience and those approved on Monday are considered engineering planning in preparation for that updated long-term wastewater plan, according to Quilter.
The plan’s culmination will be a domestic wastewater plant having significantly more capacity than the outdated current facility. The new plant is scheduled for completion in October 2005.
Officials said HydroScience will likely be contracted to design the updated long-term plan as well.
“I don’t think it’s an absolute that we’re going to go with HydroScience,” Bruscia said. “But we’ll need a compelling reason not to keep going that way.”
The added tasks approved this week include an analysis of a satellite sewer plant option, a manual for an interim sewer plant, along with a report on preliminary designs for the new domestic plant. The amended contract with HydroScience includes total costs to the city of $963,000.
Of the newly approved projects, the design report will be the most expensive at an estimated cost of $113,680, according to HydroScience documents.
During Monday’s study session, Council members – worried about costs – questioned city staff on necessity of the additional projects. Councilman Robert Scattini asked city engineer Steve Wittry for a “ballpark” figure of future costs.
For a wastewater plant that may cost $20 million, Wittry said, the engineering design phase typically costs 15-20 percent of the construction. The Council showed trust in the staff’s reasoning and unanimously approved the agenda item.
Bruscia acknowledged the Council must instill faith in the city engineering staff’s base of knowledge because, he said, “As Council members, we can’t possibly become experts on sewer treatment.”
Since November, Hollister has also employed a third party review consultant – Carollo Engineers – to monitor the process.
Officials expressed doubt Monday about the satellite wastewater plant proposal, which was suggested by developers of the East of Fairview development.
“The last I heard is we’re not going to go there,” Bruscia said.
The second smaller facility would have complemented the main plant scheduled for completion in 2005. The satellite plant was proposed to service the county development, along with several thousand homes in Hollister.
If city officials still decide to build the satellite facility, projected size and flow capacity of the main plant would decrease.
Now, even though the satellite plant looks like a long shot, officials defended the HydroScience analysis, which will cost $21,000.
“It’s to have a solid base as to why we’re not going to go there,” Wittry said.
Quilter said the analysis by HydroScience would also be valuable because of future potential for satellite plants.
“We need to analyze satellite treatment in general,” Quilter said. “It’s something that really needs to be done.”
