Sewer District Opens Bids For Construction
Lakeland Regional Sewer District opened bids Thursday evening at the North Webster Community Center for construction of the wastewater treatment plant and section C of the wastewater collection system.
Casey Erwin of DLZ Architects, Engineers, Planners, Surveyors, which drew the engineering plans for the project, read the bids. Board President John Haney then made a motion to evaluate the bids for a period of 90 days. Board members Mike DeWald, Bob Marcuccilli, Bob Sanders and John McDaniel agreed.
Four bids were presented for the wastewater treatment plant: RE Crosby Excavating Incorporated of Fort Wayne, $6,130,855; Spence Brothers of Ann Arbor, Mich., $8,236,890; MK Betts Engineering and Contracting of Anderson, $7,246,735; Grand River Construction Incorporated of Hudsonville, Mich., $6,759,230.
Three bids were presented for the construction of section C, the southeast portion of the wastewater collection system: Selge Construction Company Incorporated of Niles, Mich., $5,498,637.27; Advanced Rehabilitation Technology, Limited of Bryan, Ohio, $4,858,054.27; Niblock Excavating of Bristol, $4,859,701.27.
The estimated cost of the project is $24.5 million, and funding is being provided by a 40-year loan from the USDA Department of Rural Development. The loan, as well as operating and maintenance expenses, is expected to be paid for through the collection of monthly fees from system users. These are estimated to be around $67, according to a 2010 study by Umbaugh and Associates, the board’s rate consultant.
The next meeting of the LRSD will be at 6 p.m. Jan. 8, at the North Webster Community Center, 301 N. Main St. (SR 13).