city news
City Administrator Report
By Bill Haack
WASTEWATER TREATMENT
PLANT (WWTP) PROJECT
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT
COST ESTIMATE
The wastewater treatment plant cost esti-
mate is still rough, but is in the range of $5.25
to $6.0 million. It is composed of three main
cost components: (1) Flume Improvements -
$300,000 to $350,000, (2) Biosolids Remov-
al, $600,000 to $800,000, and (3) WWTP
Construction and overall Project/Construc-
tion Management, $4,500,000. Only element
#1 is a reasonably firm estimate at this time.
DEQ needs to accept our plans for elements
#2 & #3 before the estimates for these as-
pects of the project can firm up. In addition,
there are construction management costs,
testing, reporting etc. that will add $300,000
to these costs for a two year project.
WWTP FINANCING PLAN
The financing plan for the WWTP con-
structed improvements are drawn from three
sources: (1) DEQ Loan R93642 - $4.3 mil-
lion available, (2) Amendment to DEQ Loan
- $1 million (potentially more – City initiated
a discussion with DEQ to secure up to a
$2 million amendment), and (3) Gap Financ-
ing (Wedbush, Seattle Securities NW, USDA
RUS, RCAC, CDBG). The City may also
refinance the existing USDA RUS bond in-
debtedness using financing available from
Wedbush. The Wedbush proposal will be
presented to the Public Works Committee
on 2-26-13, and be brought forward to City
Council on 3-4-13.
WWTP BUILDING IMPROVMENTS
The Planning Commission approved a 720
sq. ft. concrete block building that will provide
secure space for the DAF (Dissolved Air Flo-
tation) and Disk Filtration system. The elec-
trical and instrumentation for these features
will all be housed at this site. The building
may also afford a future secure location for
the lab.
WWTP DYKE ELEVATION PROJECT
Otak will assess the use of aggregate that
Custom Excavating creates through the de-
molition of the school campus project. Shan-
non & Wilson will conduct an onsite review
of the materials to provide a geotechnical
assessment of these building materials. If
this source of rock and gravel can be used, it
should provide a cost savings to the project,
over importing gravel and engineered fill from
our closest quarry. In the short-term, the City
will use some aggregate from the school site
as temporary surcharge ballast to compact
soils associated with the pipe connection at
the Headworks prior to the dyke elevation
project. The dykes will nominally be elevated
four feet, or to no less than 622.7 feet above
sea level – at this height the improvements
are above the 500 year flood plan required
by DEQ//FEMA.
WWTP PIPE GALLERY INSTALLATION
PROJECT
Tetra Tech and Otak are working on estab-
lishing the construction logic for the installa-
tion of the pipe gallery under the linear trail,
and the related modification in the trail when
restored to a lower elevation to reduce flood
water damage in the event of a high water
event in the future. The pipe gallery will be
manually operated by city staff.
WWTP ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Pacific Habitat continues to develop an envi-
ronmental assessment to meet DEQ/EPA re-
quirements. This past week they were onsite
to complete an archeological assessment of
the project improvement area.
BIOSOLIDS PLAN
Otak developed a Biosolids Sampling Plan
and submitted it to DEQ. The Plan intends
to secure approval from DEQ to direct our
efforts to sample the biosolids to then deter-
mine the method of processing that we will
need to follow. The sampling will include lo-
cations with Lagoon One & Two only. The
chemical composition of the sampled biosol-
ids also determines costs as “hotter” biosol-
ids require most comprehensive testing and
land application methods. The cost compo-
nent of processing is a variable at this time
as it is dependent on the following: (1) biosol-
ids sampling that describe the quantity and
chemical/nutrient quality of the sampling es-
timates, (2) coordinating of the project within
the larger construction project that minimizes
delays and mobilization costs, and (3) timing
of transport as after July 1, 2013 more farms
nearer us are available, prior to July 1, 2013,
the land application sites are as far away as
Hermiston.
HEADWORKS PARSHALL FLUME & RE-
LATED IMPROVEMENTS
Under separate contract with Otak, a Head-
works Flume Improvement project plans and
specifications is developed and submitted
to DEQ for concurrence. The project will
involve earthwork, soil compaction, excava-
tion, pipe installation, adjustments to mea-
suring devises and a modification to the Par-
shall Flume section of the Headworks. The
project includes a modification of the Par-
Budget Committee Position Open
The
Budget
Committee
consists of the members of the local
governing body and an equal number
of citizens at large. The citizens are
appointed by the governing body and
serve terms of three years. Terms are
staggered so that about one-third of
the appointed terms end each year.
This fiscal year 2013-2014 has one (1)
volunteer opening for citizens for the
Budget Committee. Please fill out an
Application for Appointment (found
on the web page City Info/ forms &
documents) or you may pick up a
form at City Hall, 1001 Bridge Street,
Vernonia OR 97064. The Budget
Committee Meetings will begin
March 2013.
Questions please contact
Angie
Handegard,
Administrator
503-429-5291 ext. 107
Finance
HOW TO APPLY
Please complete a volunteer
Application for Appointment and
return it to City Hall, 1001 Bridge
Street, Vernonia OR 97064 or Fax
to 503-429-4232.
The Volunteer
Application is available on the cities
web page at www.vernonia-or.gov
City Info/Forms and documents or
you may pick up an application at City
Hall.
A copy of the Ordinance for
Committees is available at City Hall.
Questions please contact Joann Glass,
City Recorder 503-429-5291 ext. 106.
february21
2013
shall Flume that will increase the accuracy
of the measured flow from the three pumping
stations through the headworks. The project
will also install eight hundred feet of 18 inch
pipe that will allow the effluent to move more
freely from the headworks into Lagoon One
– Replacing a 12 inch pipe. The City intends
to bid this repair and see construction com-
pleted within the next three months so to not
delay the start of construction on the larger
project – WWTP Improvement Project.
RFQ PRESELECTION OF BIDDERS
Otak in conjunction with the City Attorney de-
signed a Request for Qualifications to secure
an eligible pool of bidders for the wastewater
treatment plant facility improvement project.
CDBG CLOSEOUT UPDATES
The City will work with CDBG Program
Representatives to close out CDBG Grant
P06021 (Wastewater Facility Design) and
CDBG Grant D08018 (Wastewater Facilities
Plan Update). The City received an exten-
sion through June 2013 on P06021. The
City is on schedule to close D08018 within 45
days. When both of these CDBG grants are
administratively closed by CDBG program
staff, the City will be eligible to pursue future
CDBG program applications.
OTHER PUBLIC WORKS ACTIVITY
MASTER CAPITAL PLAN AND SEWER
AND WATER RATE STUDIES
The consultants working on the sewer rate
study, the one year look back at the water
rate study and the master capital plan team
are sharing information to make their projec-
tions similar. We are hoping that the sewer
and water rate study will be in reasonably
complete form to allow the FY 2013-2014
budget to be informed, but it may not work
out that way. The same is true with the Mas-
ter Capital Plan. Regardless of the timing of
these studies the City will work to see that
they are completed.
STREETS DEPARTMENT
CALIFORNIA AVENUE BUSINESS PARK
The City continues to work with Brad Curtis
(owner of Photo Solutions) and Casey Mitch-
City Information and
Updates Available by Email
Citizens who wish to receive meeting
information and updates can request to
be placed on an email list at City Hall.
Please contact Joann Glass at joann@
vernonia-or.gov and asked to be placed
on the “Citizen Notification List.”
5
ell (owner of land along undeveloped Cali-
fornia Avenue) to assess whether the City
coordinate an application for Special Public
Works Fund and/or Immediate Opportunity
Fund resources to assist in the development
of a small business park.
PARKS DEPARTMENT
OPRD SPENCER PARK DEVELOPMENT
The City signed and returned the Agreement
No LGP0252-1 Spencer Park Development.
The award of these funds will be used to pur-
chase and install a restroom in the replace-
ment park that will be built on the site of the
old school campus. The funds will pay for a
restroom, picnic shelter and some ADA walk-
way improvements.
OPRD MASTER PARK PLAN
The City provided Jim Sandlin, project man-
ager with MacKay and Sposito Landscape
Architects with information to assist them
prepare for the Master Park Plan process.
The Master Park Plan intends to look at all of
the city’s land holdings from Vernonia Lake to
Anderson Park. We will use this process to
also look at the connection between Hawkins
Park, Shay Park, and the open space proxi-
mate to these land holdings. The goal of this
process is to identify a meaningful approach
to the long term development of City park
properties that will promote recreation, tour-
ism and economic befits to the community.
VERNONIA LAKE – RESTROOM IN-
STALLED
Public Works Department installed the re-
placement restroom at Vernonia Lake to
serve both campers, fisherman, and the
community allowing for greater recreational
opportunity.
VERNONIA LAKE PUMPING FACILITY
City staff met with Oregon Fish and Wildlife,
continued on page 6
Vernonia City
Council Meetings
City Council Meetings are
scheduled for 7 PM:
Monday, March 4
Monday, March 18
Dates and times subject to change
due to conflicts of schedules