LOWVILLE — The projected cost for the village's sewer outfall replacement project has dropped from $1.7 million to $900,000, thanks to extremely favorable bids for pipeline installation.
"Not that we had any choice, but we timed it about right," said Mark D. Tabolt, the village's superintendent of public works, noting there is a relative lack of construction projects in the region.
Village trustees on Thursday awarded a $537,315 contract to low bidder Adhan Piping Co., Cortland, for installation of a 1.3-mile discharge pipe from the village sewage treatment plant on East State Street to the Black River. Engineering and other fees are added to that.
Village officials plan to borrow any needed funds, then pay the debt from sewer system usage fees and other revenues. No immediate rate increases are planned.
The village now discharges treated wastewater into Mill Creek, which runs past the treatment facility and empties into the river.
To accommodate increased sewer system use, a few years ago the village asked the state Department of Environmental Conservation to raise the daily limit on discharge from 1.1 million to 1.8 million gallons.
DEC officials would require a reduction in pollutant level limits of up to 80 percent before approving higher discharges into the creek.
However, the village could maintain higher pollutant limits if it discharges directly into the river, which has a much higher water volume than the creek.
While Adhan's bid was well below the others, five other firms submitted bids under $700,000, he said. The highest bid was $845,889.30.
Of 22 firms that took bid documents, 13 bid on the project.
The pool of bidders even included firms that specialize in road paving and trucking, Mr. Tabolt said.
"There's not much work out there," he said. "It's very competitive for work right now."
The project was designed by Watertown architectural and engineering firm Bernier, Carr & Associates. Another consultant about four years ago informally suggested the project would cost about $1.2 million, Mr. Tabolt said. And given the increase in price for PVC pipe since then, the village had been anticipating a $1.5 million to $1.7 million price tag, he said.
The project is to be completed by the end of the year, Mr. Tabolt said. However, work probably won't begin until July, since the new pipe will run through some land that was recently flooded, he said.
"It's pretty soggy, I'm sure," Mr. Tabolt said.
The proposed line will cross two private parcels, but easement agreements have already been reached with the landowners, he said.
The village last year completed a $2.2 million project — using $1 million from sewer reserves and borrowing the rest — that replaced an auxiliary building damaged by fire in February 2003 and deteriorated sewer pipes around the sewer plant, added a backup power system and extended sewer service to homes on Maple Avenue.
Trustees on Thursday also approved their 2008-09 budget after making a few changes — the main one concerning the projected cost of the sewer project — that did not affect the tax levy, or amount to be collected in property taxes. The $5.14 million budget keeps the levy stable at $1,202,000.
The tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value drops from $25.23 to $9.02 because of last year's townwide reassessment, which raised the equalization rate from 46 percent to 100 percent.
