Council to consider $826K amendment for pump station, wet … – Cookeville Herald Citizen

A project to prevent sewage overflow north of Tennessee Tech is now expected to cost more than $8 million.

The Cookeville City Council this week will consider an $826,760 amendment to an engineering contract with Gresham Smith for the TTU Pump Station and Storage Facility project.

Most of Tennessee Tech's campus as well as houses in the general area drain to the 17th Street and Lee Avenue sewer pump station, which will be replaced and upgraded. The construction of a 1.5 million-gallon, above-ground, concrete wet weather storage facility is expected to prevent sewer overflows.

"We've been spending a lot of money out there doing sewer rehab trying to get it contained,"Cookeville Water Quality Control Department Director Barry Turner said. "We make some progress, then new leaks happen."

Turner said the sewage overflows happen about eight times a year, during intense rainfall events, primarily at a manhole on Byrne Avenue and one off 10th Street.

"The lines are old," he said. "There are broken clean outs. We have some sump pumps tied on. There are downspouts in the area. We've done smoke testing, CCTV work to look for defects. I think a lot of the problems are on the homeowners' portion of the sewer line."

When the sewer does overflow, Turner said the department has to notify the state, check to make sure pumps are running correctly and clean up any debris.

"It's unsightly and environmentally not sound," he said. "There's potential for people coming in contact with it if it were to get out. What overflows is real diluted from the the rainwater, but we recognize as it as a problem and still want to get it fixed."

The wet weather storage facility is the first project of its kind for the city, according to Turner. But they've been built in other cities such as Knoxville, Nashville and Springfield in recent years as heavy rain events become more common.

Turner said they'll be able to pump water into the wet weather storage facility during a heavy rain event.

"We'll shut off our normal pump station and not pump anything downstream and allow another pump to use the capacity," he said.

The engineering contract was first approved in May 2021 by the council for $118,589. The first amendment to the contract was approved in September 2021 for $9,199, and a second amendment was approved in July 2022 for $1,036,474.

With the third amendment, the cost of the site suitability and preliminary engineering report is expected to increase to $1,991,022.

Turner said the work requires "a more skilled person than we have on most jobs. It's got a lot of controls to determine when to pump to the storage tank rather than going down the system. The inspectors cost quite a bit more than usual."

Turner said he's hoping the construction of the project, which is expected to take 18-22 months, will be ready to bid by the end of this year.

Back in 2020-21, the total project was estimated to cost $6-$7 million. Now it's estimated to cost $8 or $9 million and will be spread over multiple budget years.

Also on the council's agenda this week:

Reappointments to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.

Set a public hearing on an ordinance to amend the zoning code relative to recreational vehicles in nonconforming mobile home parks.

Declare surplus vehicles for the customer service department.

Bid for two 225 KVA pad transformers and a pricing adjustment on transformer bids previously approved by the council for the electric department.

Amendments to the bylaws related to membership of the Tennessee Central Railroad Authority.

Wellness Screening Program Agreement for city employees.

Participation in the Tennessee Municipal League's Risk Management Pool Safety Partners Matching Grant Program.

An ordinance to establish an updated Occupational Safety and Health Program Plan.

Bid for gate security system and two pickup trucks for the electric department.

Rescind bid for poly tubing previously approved by the council on Aug. 17 and award bid for poly tubing for the water department.

The council meets at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Cookeville City Hall at 45 E. Broad St.

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Council to consider $826K amendment for pump station, wet ... - Cookeville Herald Citizen