The utilities department is contracting Strand Professional Services to complete a preliminary assessment for two future projects.
The utilities board approved the contract with Strand to determine budgets for work at the Spear Street water treatment plant and the utility service center on McClure Road.
Strand’s contract is an “hourly plus expenses” agreement for an amount not to exceed $33,000, said Utilities Executive Director Scott Dompke. The estimated completion date for Strand’s assessment is Nov. 30.
The report stated that Strand will assess the following renovations for the water treatment plant: “alterations to existing interior space to create a multi-purpose room that could be used as a training or conference room” and “renovating space to provide dedicated lab and kitchenette.”
The other project involves improving security at the Utility Service Center on McClure Road. For this project, Strand will assess “modifications to the entry, lobby and customer counter area to address security concerns” and the “possible addition of a second entry to the building on the maintenance garage side.”
Dompke said the main security concern at the utility service center is separating public access points from employee access points so that visitors can’t “wander without escort.”
“It’s a concern for all utilities companies, and water utilities in particular have been renovating their entryways and access points to their properties ever since the 2001 terrorist attack,” he said. “And this building hasn’t been modified since it was constructed in 1987, and we would like to bring it up to current security standards. Creating a dedicated employee entrance and a dedicated visitor entrance is one of the components that we want to evaluate.”
He added that the center’s customer service employees work “behind a brick wall” and have limited visibility, which is another problem the utility department wants to address.
Dompke also said at the board meeting that the assessment will also consider the utilities center’s space needs, furnishings, electrical plan and air conditioning, as the building may be in need of updates.
Dompke said that the money to pay Strand comes from the 2020 budget. However, the cost of the two future projects is not included in the budget, as that work is a “component” of the sewer rate case that the utilities board is considering.
“Any capital that’s associated with this would be tied into rates and bonds,” he said.
Dompke said that while it would be preferable to finish both projects in 2021, the completion date will depend on policy decisions made by the utilities board and department.
