By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

The Wichita company selected to provide design-build services for the Hays wastewater treatment plant upgrade anticipates the $27.6 million project will be finished 45 days ahead of schedule.

City commissioners voted 3-0 Thursday to approve a $1,876,611 contract with CDM Smith, Wichita, one of three finalists for Phase 1 design-build services at the WWTP, built in 1953. The upgrade, which must meet stricter effluent discharge requirements by July 2018, is being financed by the city’s State Revolving Fund loan from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Bruce Barnes, CDM Smith vice-president, told commissioners Phase 2 construction will start in August, 2016, and bids will be decided collectively.

“It will be an open book.  You’ll get to see all the bids that we receive and we’ll decide collectively what bids to accept based on value and pricing and all the criteria we come up with collaboratively,” Barnes said in answer to a question from Mayor Eber Phelps.

Commissioner James Meier was happy about the shortened project deadline, which he said could do more than save the city some money.

“This is not a water treatment facility where you dump in some chemicals and know within a few hours or days whether things are working the way they should.  It’s a biological process that could take months to get it ‘dialed in,’ Meier said.

“When we’re working under a deadline and the threat of losing our (Kansas Department of Health and Environment permit) certification from the state,  an extra 45 days can be huge if for some reason something goes wrong during the startup.  It’s nice to have that buffer.”

Commissioner Lance Jones was impressed with CDM’s bid.

“You’re off to a pretty good start with your engineering bid being almost half a million dollars less than the other two competitors.  I applaud you for that,” Jones said.

Vice-mayor Shaun Musil and Commissioner Henry Schwaller were absent from the city commission meeting.