By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
There is only one 16-inch line providing water to properties north of Interstate 70 in Hays.
The city is planning to build another 12-inch water main for redundancy.
There were only a few businesses to be served in the area when the 500,000 gallon water tower was built and city water was extended north of I-70 in 1993.
Since then, many businesses vital to the economy and daily needs of Hays residents and the surrounding area have located north of I-70, and more new businesses are planned.
“The economic impact of being without water service north of I-70 for any length of time would be significant,” said John Braun, project manager. “A failure of the current water main could have catastrophic consequences in case of fire.”
The city has been working since 2017 with Bartlett & West Engineers, Topeka, on a study of how to address the deficiency in the municipal water system.
The study result presented four options.
City staff has selected the option that crosses I-70 at Hall Street and connects a new 12-inch water main from 45th and Hall to an existing dead-end line along Hall Street at the west property line of Carrico Implement.
The plan also calls for installation of a new booster pump station on city-owned property along W. 41st Street just east of Post Road near city water well C-32. The new booster station would serve as a backup to the existing booster station.
It would also create the ability to provide higher water pressure to the northwestern area of the city, “which is much needed,” according to City Manager Toby Dougherty.
Staff solicited fee-based proposals from engineering firms for design services related to the project. Kaw Valley Engineers, Junction City, had the low bid of $59,860.
The waterline project was listed in the Capital Improvement Project of the 2019 Budget with a cost estimate of $2 million to be funded out of Water Capital.
The current design schedule calls for a construction bid opening in October 2019 with construction to begin in 2020.
Braun noted inspection of the project is not included in the scope of work and would be added later at a negotiated fee or solicited from other qualified firms.
“Due to anticipated work load during the time this project is under construction, in-house inspection is not likely,” Braun told Hays city commissioners. “Overseeing construction of a booster station would be beyond the expertise of our existing inspection staff.”
He estimated the cost for outsourced inspection would be in the range of eight percent of the total project cost, although he thinks the “2-million-dollar cost is a little bit high. But we’re probably talking about somewhere between a million and a million and half dollar cost. So we could be talking $80,000 or more [for the construction inspection].”
Commissioners will review the design engineering proposal at their March 14 meeting.
The complete agenda is available here. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in Hays City Hall, 1507 Main.
A declaration of “Fix a Leak Week” will precede the meeting at 6:15 p.m.