The town of Marion is moving forward with a project to assess and repair its sewer infrastructure after the Board of Aldermen voted Tuesday to award the contract to the lowest bidder.
Town Engineer Shaun Miles said four contractors bid on the project with the lowest bid coming from Video Industrial Services, a company out of Birmingham, Alabama, at a cost of $639,975. Miles recommended aldermen also approve alternates two and three, which include rehabilitation of a lift station on Alamutcha Street and more sewer repairs, for an additional $110,000.
The sewer project will start with using a camera system to find areas of the sewer system that need to be fixed. After that, Miles said the town can move forward with lining pipes, removing roots, point repairs and other tasks to keep the sewer system flowing the way it should.
While town officials are preparing for a variety of repairs, Miles said the town won’t know exactly what all is needed until the camera work is done.
The sewer project is being paid for from Marion’s allocation of American Rescue Plan Act dollars. The town was given $300,000 under the federal stimulus bill and took advantage of a 2-for-1 matching program from the state to get a project budget of $900,000.
With about $750,000 in construction, engineering costs and other expenses, Miles said the town is left with a contingency fund of $11,000 to address any issues that may occur during the project.
Following the board’s approval Tuesday, Miles said a preconstruction meeting with the contractor will be scheduled. A notice to proceed will be issued, likely at the board’s next meeting on Sept. 17, with work beginning a few weeks after that.
On the freshwater side of things, Miles said the town is almost ready to bid out the construction of a well at the site of the new freshwater plant near the Pleasant Acres subdivision. A few paperwork issues are still being ironed out, he said, but the town will likely put the project out for bids within the next few weeks.