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SALEM -- The utilities commission heard positive updates on several stalled projects in its November meeting.
The long-delayed cleaning of the Stewart Road Water Tank by Liquid Engineering, which has been stalled for an extended period of time due to a lack of divers, had officially begun. Utilities Superintendent Butch Donnalley said that the tank was roughly 50% done, and that he expected Liquid Engineering to remain in the area until the work had been completed.
Progress is also being made on the Lincoln and Snyder Road water connection, which has received the required permit to install from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The tap had been completed with shut off valves and two hydrants installed, and pipe fusing also in progress. The line was expected to be pressurized and sanitized the next week.
The department has also received the go ahead to begin grout work at East Cold Run Reservoir as part of the repairs to the dam and rip-rap to take advantage of the continued decline in water level at the Salem City Lake which is down 5 feet, 10 inches. Burgess and Niple said they had received requirements from ODNR for the work which they were working on.
The commission also received updates on the ongoing work at the wastewater and water treatment plants.
Wastewater Treatment Plant Manager Dean Stokes said that work on the sludge conditioning building was continuing, with the floor poured, exterior masonry walls completed, and work on the interior walls started. Stokes also said that the metal building panels had been delivered and roof and wall panels were being installed. The new number two trickling filter domes have also arrived and began construction, with the old dome removed and sent for scrap. Utilities Commission Chairman Bob Hodgson questioned why Stanley Miller had built the enclosure so close to the interior walls that a person could walk through, and Donnalley said he had concerns regarding electrical conduit banks that had been constructed as part of phase two of the plant's improvements which had been removed. The commission ultimately agreed they would like Burgess and Niple to explain some of the changes. Donnalley also commended Stokes on locating an alternate water source for Stanley Miller so that treated water wasn't used, saving the department $5,000.
Water Treatment Plant Manager Larry Sebrell clarified that the ongoing work on the raw water valve and soft start were not part of phase one plant improvements, and that work had been completed on the raw water valve, while work on the number three soft start was still ongoing. Sebrell also said that the number one lagoon pump was not working, which is estimated to cost approximately $5,500 to repair, and that cleaning of the number four well by National Well was scheduled to begin Dec. 4 and should take roughly a week.
A representative from Benesch Engineering said they had received the final electrical plans the night prior but had not had time to review them, and that they were hoping to apply for a permit to install for the sludge holding tanks. Hodgson, Commission Vice President Randall Malmsberry, Donnalley and Benesch also recently attended a webinar for potential grant funding sources, with Hodgson noting there was $123 million for shovel ready projects.
The Utilities Commission will meet next at 4 p.m. Dec. 21.
mahart@mojonews.com