Dorchester right to second guess sewer plant work
When it comes to local government and utility projects there is only so much money to go around.
A big part of being a leader is prioritizing how those limited financial resources are spent. Members of the Dorchester village board made the right call on at their board meeting on January 5 when they held off on approving bids for a proposed sewer treatment plant renovation.
The project had been projected to cost about $232,000. At $510,000 the low bid for the project as more than double the engineering estimate while at $657,700 the only other bid was nearly three times higher than the estimate.
The work being proposed would allow the planttomeetstringentlimitsontheamount of phosphorus the water leaving the facility. Phosphorus standards have been part of the state’s administrative codes for more than a decade and since their adoption communities and plant sewer plant operators have been working to meet them.
Even small amount of phosphorus in surface water can fuel substantial increases in aquatic plant and algae growth, which in turn can reduce recreational use, property values, and public health. Working to eliminate phosphorus is an important goal, which should continue.
That said, elected officials owe it to their residents to perform their due diligence and take time get firm answers on why bid prices are so much higher than engineering estimates. While market volatility, supply chains and inflation are all handy excuses, they don’t fully explain why the actual bid was so much higher than the estimate.
While there is a deadline for the village to meet sewer plant requirements, the village also has options on how to get into compliance. As plant operator Rick Golz correctly noted, there are alternative methods being developed around the state to deal with the issue.
Necessity, always the mother of invention, is driving innovation in this field and it is worthwhile to take the time to explore those options, particularly the ones that do not require massive infrastructure projects.
Even if the sewer utility’s coffers were flush with cash, putting a hold on the project to think it over would be a sound investment. As it is, a sizable sewer rate increase would be needed to pay of the additional debt service.
This is on top of what will be needed to pay for the necessary replacement of a 50-year-old lift station and the sewer portion’s of upcoming road reconstruction projects.
In the worst case, the village can always ride out the current market conditions and rebid the project next year with the existing state approved plans. At the very least this would stagger the impact of any rate increases and ease the burden on rate payers.
Editorial from the Star News editorial board, including Brian Wilson, Carol O'Leary and Kris O'Leary.
