An update was given to the Chetek City Council about the Chetek Wastewater Treatment Plant during its Tuesday, Jan. 10 meeting. Tia McCarthy, project engineer with CBS Squared, Inc., addressed the council by phone to discuss how the project is coming along. McCarthy said CBS Squared had received closing instructions from the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development (USDA-RD) for the current wastewater treatment plant.
The council received additional good news when they were notifed that a pre-bid meeting had taken place, and open bidding will begin on Thursday, Jan. 19 for the construction of the new wastewater treatment plant.
However, there is a potential complication with the USDA’s easement standards according to McCarthy, “The standard is to have all easements in hand before the project can be awarded.” This standard would not be a possible issue if it weren’t for a portion of the project involving a force main that takes waste from the current treatment plant to the new treatment plant. In order for this portion of the project to move forward, pipes must be laid under a portion of railroad.
McCarthy said a coordination effort is underway to secure an easement for the wastewater treatment plant, but there has been a delay. Council member Terry Hight asked McCarthy if it was possible to expedite the process. McCarthy concluded the city could pay a fee to the railroad to expedite the process, but it would cost between $5,000 and $10,000.
Upon hearing the price, council members were not in support of paying the exorbitant fee.
According to McCarthy, the USDA is willing to move forward with the force main portion of the project as long as the city understands if this portion of the project fails to reach finalization, the funds set aside to cover the force main could be lost. “I have never heard of a railroad denying an easement, but a process of negotiation needs to happen to ensure the plan matches the railroad’s expectations,” McCarthy assured. “The railroad has a history of moving slow. Knowing this information, a timeframe of April or May was set for the contract.”
McCarthy said she added an additional stop gap by pushing the start of the force main portion of the wastewater project to begin Sept. 1 of 2023. She explained the additional four months will offer extra security to what is considered a lynch pin to the new wastewater treatment plant’s construction.
Council member Thea Hempel said it would be beneficial to involve elected officials like Representative Romaine Quinn of the 25th Senate District. McCarthy agreed with Hempel, noting that the utilization of political representatives may be of great benefit depending on how negotiation efforts advance.
McCarthy told the council she could arrange a follow-up meeting with them if they had any further questions or concerns. Council members appeared to be satisfied with the update and did not request a follow-up meeting
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