The Kyle City Council took a number of actions relative to the pending expansion of its wastewater treatment plant during its regular meeting on Feb. 4.
First, council members voted to award the more than $30 million bid to Archer Western Construction LLC of Irving, which was the “lowest and most responsible” bid received on the project. The figure includes a five percent contingency.
The city purchased the plant on New Bridge Drive from Aqua Texas in 2015 and realized it needed to be expanded after its 3.0 million gallons a day capacity was exceeded for three consecutive months in 2017. The expansion is intended to expand the plant’s capacity to 4.5 million gallons a day, with treated affluent discharged into Plum Creek.
Three bids on the project were opened in December and each addressed four components of work: Headwork, which includes screening and pumping; secondary treatment, which includes clarifying and filtering; tertiary treatment, consisting of ultraviolet disinfection and “post aeration”; and solids handling, which adds anaerobic digesters and displacement blowers.
Archer Western Construction’s bid was $28,893,400. The other two received were $28,999,080 from MGC Contractors Inc. and $30,921,000 from PLW Waterworks, LLC. The firm of Burgess & Niple Engineer Planners said in a letter to City Engineer Leon Barba that the engineer’s construction cost estimate for the project was $21,055,000. “Although the apparent low bidder is significantly higher than the engineer’s estimate, it is our opinion that the submitted bids are competetive, reasonable and reflective of the current industry costs for construction of this type of project,” the firm said before going on to recommend the bid go to Archer Western.
In March or April, the city plans to issue $25 million in certificate of obligation bonds. Additionally, $2.5 million is available from developer contributions and another $8.5 million from the general fund has already been authorized by council.
Council also approved, on first reading, amending the budget by adding $21,900,000 to the Wastewater Utility Bond Fund for the plant expansion (part of the $25 million in bonds to be issued).
