PERRYSBURG — Council has approved $250,000 in utility purchases, with concerns remaining for future upgrade needs from the water purification equipment manufacturer.
Council last week approved the purchase of $178,041 in replacement equipment needed by the department of public utilities for new purification and support equipment involved in water treatment.
Prior to the passage of the resolution by council, water treatment plant manager Mickey Shank explained the state of the current equipment, and the need for replacing worn parts. He was complimentary of the maintenance of the system and the ability of the department to exceed product life expectancy.
“In the history and workings of the UV System provided, we currently have a Trojan 3000 unit that was installed in 2011. This unit has had a very long run time without replacement, Perrysburg has maintained the unit well, and being inside a permanent structure has helped increase its life expectancy,” Shank wrote.
The replacement equipment needs to be compatible with other Trojan Technologies equipment currently in use and the company is the sole source of that type of equipment.
Prior to this purchase, Shank wrote, “I have had concerns since beginning employment in December of 2020, I now have major concerns for future compliance if we don’t act soon.”
For future reference, Shank also wrote that his previous employer was required to make two $250,000 upgrades and similar recommendations are now being made to Perrysburg.
He summed up stating “procuring this equipment is vital for future National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System compliance.”
The second item approved by council was a sewer upgrade change from work in progress, from $18,500 to $29,500.
The Department of Public Utilities is in the process of replacing the Third Street Sanitary Sewer and stated in the approved resolution that it found the project to be “much more extensive than first thought.”
Because it now exceeds the $25,000 spending threshold, the change required council approval.
The scope of the project grew after discovering the “poor condition” of the existing 18-inch sanitary sewer. The City originally had originally contracted with Feller-Finch design for the replacement of an 18-inch clay sanitary sewer pipe with an 8-inch PVC pipe on 3rd St, between Locust and Maple Streets.
Documents from law director Kathryn Sandretto state that the original fee was based on survey, design, and construction services, but “in addition to being over oversized, the pipe is extensively fractured, and a likely source of inflow and infiltration.”
The final item of council approval with the department of public utilities was water meters and remotes for the water distribution system.
Over the past 20 years, the city has been switching to using Neptune meters and radio remotes. It is making an effort to become a “fixed based” meter reading system, which will use Neptune’s proprietary software.
Toward that process, purchasing the next batch of water meters and radio remotes is $46,700.
