City to consider $1.98 million water treatment project contract
City Commissioners will be asked to award a $1,986,375 contract to Sletten Construction Company during their Oct. 7 meeting for the head house and rapid mix project at the Water Treatment Plant.
Staff is recommending approval of the contract for “critical structural repairs” to the head house which are “essentia to maintaining uninterrupted drinking water service and protecting staff safety,” according to the staff report.
Construction is expected to start this month and go through August 2026.
City approves contract for water treatment plant project
The head house, part of the original 1916 water plant, receiving raw water from the Missouri River.
During routine maintenance, staff discovered severe deterioration in the head house’s concrete floor, posing a risk of major service disruption and potential injury, according to the city.
A December 2023 TD&H inspection revealed widespread structural issues, including spalling, significant cracking, and exposed, corroding rebar in the elevated slab and walls of the settled water flume and rapid mixer.
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The overall project will provide plan and bid document preparation for the 1916 head house building including repairs on the rapid mix slab main floor and lower level, as well as truss work for the 1916 filter building.
The project is expected to extend the useful life of the building while reducing safety risks to staff, but the challenge is completing the work without disrupting operations, “which will be addressed through detailed phasing and coordination to ensure uninterrupted water service to residents and businesses,” according to staff.
The proposed design for the area above the receiving chamber includes a stainless-steel channel frame with stainless steel diamond plate flooring to improve access to the chamber and make future maintenance easier, according to city documents. The lids of the remaining tanks will be reconstructed using concrete and the deteriorated beams and slab in the basement will be replaced with new concrete, according to staff.
The city received one bid for the project from Sletten Construction Company for $1,986,375, which includes the base bid of $1,876,975 plus two alternates, one to repair the roof trusses for $91,400 and one for a redundant hot water pump for $18,000.
The project was selected and prioritized under the city’s public works capital improvement plan.
State revolving loan funds have been budgeted for construction and are needed because the “the city has more capital infrastructure requirements than available funds,” according to staff.
The project is contingent on loan approval from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conversation.
In June, commissioners approved a $256,000 contract amendment with TD&H Engineering for a water treatment plant project.
They’d initially approved the contract in June 2024 for the water treatment plant head house and rapid mix vault project.
The original contract tasked TD&H to conduct a condition assessment of the head house, complete the project design, develop plan set, and assemble a bid package for the proposed critical improvements.
City approves water treatment plant improvement contract
The amendment adds state revolving fund loan application services, mechanical services for a circulation pump relocation, analysis of the 1916 filter building roof trusses, main floor grating evaluation and design, and construction inspection services, according to city staff.
The consultant services portion of the project was budgeted in the water enterprise fund.
The original contract was $178,000 and the amendment adds $265,000, bringing the total to $434,000.
