Photo by John McCallum Cheney's Well 3 on Erie Street near Eastern Washington University is capped (left) and awaiting the delivery and installation of a pre-fabricated building, pump, motor and piping. A power transformer is at right.
Public Works Department business dominated the Cheney City Council's March 12 agenda.
Three of the nine resolutions brought forward by Public Works Director Todd Ableman involved Cheney's water supply - beginning with a final contract for construction of the city's Well 3. Council approved a $558,600 contract with Spokane-based Wesslen Construction for installing the pumping operation of the well the city has already spent almost $829,000 on in the hopes it will help with summer irrigation issues.
Previously, a $648,201 redrilling of the well proved successful in delivering an estimated 1,500 gallons per minute, and the council approved at its Feb. 12 meeting a $180,000 contract for a pre-fabricated building to go on the site. Wesslen will install the pump, motor, controls and associated piping for the well located on Erie Street.
"Timing is critical," Councilman Paul Schmidt said. "We'd like to have this up by July 1."
Ableman said the entire project should come in around $1.5 million, less than the $1.8 million estimated. Mayor Chris Grover noted the savings came from going with a pre-fabricated building, something Ableman expressed caution about.
"It could be a hard schedule to meet given the piping (installed in the building)," he added.
Council also approved a resolution allowing the city to enter into an agreement with Varela & Associates engineering firm for production of a water study. The purpose of the study is to begin a public conversation about water consumption and form strategies out of that conversation, which will focus on conservation and reclaimed water usage.
Based upon a worksheet from Varela & Associates, the study is estimated to take about 1,332 hours at a cost of $118,892.
Council also approved a resolution authorizing Grover to sign a "water quality combined financial assistance agreement" with the state Department of Health for preliminary design work on modifying the city's wastewater treatment facility to use it also as a water reclamation plant. The city is eligible to receive $1.418 million in state funding for the design work, which will produce construction documents needed to proceed with bidding and procuring funding for a facility.
The city's Reclaimed Water Engineering Report was approved by DOH in 2016, making Cheney eligible for the design funding. Ableman said the biggest question answered by the report was whether diverting 1 million gallons of 1.5 million gallons of wastewater taken in daily for the purposes of irrigation would harm the wetlands the water is currently discharged into.
"The answer is, no, it wouldn't," Ableman said.
Council also approved several pieces of paperwork regarding the city's proposed Washington Street Preservation Project. The city is receiving 76.5 percent - $731,000 - of the estimated funding for the project from the federal Surface Transportation Block Grant and Highway Infrastructure programs, and is required to enter into a local agency agreement along with a prospectus with the state's Department of Transportation.
The project, scheduled for 2020, will repair Washington Street from Oakland to West 6th streets.
Council also approved two resolutions allowing the city's fire department to purchases much-needed new self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBAs). The first contract enables the department to secure SCBA pricing previously negotiated with the city of Shoreline fire department, something Fire Chief Tom Jenkins said could save Cheney $37,000 on the air packs.
"We're the seventh department to enter into an agreement with the Shoreline fire department," Jenkins said.
The second contract allows the department to purchase SCBAs through an approved Community Leasing Partners option that according to the resolution working "will provide the best rates while securing critical equipment through a lease over a five year period."
The cost of the second contract is put at $161,421; $109,000 above the budgeted $52,000 for the purchase.
Council also approved two requests for funding from the city's lodging tax: $20,000 for the Cheney Mayfesters for the annual Mayfest celebration and $7,500 for the Washington Civil War Association for a Civil War re-enactment planned for Memorial Day weekend.
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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