CRESTVIEW — With local officials projecting northwest Crestview will be the city’s next area of growth, the City Council took steps toward preparing for the quadrant’s expansion by approving a new water system.
Meeting Monday evening in its first business meeting of the year, the council received a report from Michael Bomar, vice president of Tetra Tech municipal water system consultants. The city had directed the company to develop a master plan for Crestview’s water system. Improving service to the growing northwest quadrant enclosed by Old Bethel Road was one of Tetra Tech’s recommendations.
Bomar presented bids for the system’s two components, which he said came close to or below Tetra Tech engineers’ estimated cost.
Speegle Construction submitted the low bid, $2 million, for Part I, encompassing drilling the city’s new Well No. 9 and building a water tank for it.
However, Tetra Tech was able to strip from the bid “value engineering items … that we do not feel will decrease the level of service for this project,” Bomar stated in a letter to the city.
Removing items including a generator and its soundproofing enclosure, and providing a shingle roof instead of a metal roof on the well house, reduced the bid by $91,840.
Evans Contractors Inc., submitted the winning bid of $428,830 for Part II, the construction of a network of water mains. The council unanimously accepted both bids.
Council President Ben Iannucci III asked Bomar if the cost would’ve been less if only one contractor did the work.
“The reason we broke it out is to save the city money,” Bomar said, explaining contractors generally have a specialty, such as drilling, and would in turn substitute the project’s other components, charging the city for the project management and the actual work.
The work would likely start within 30 days of signing the contracts with Speegle and Evans, Bomar said.
In other matters, the city:
• Unanimously approved a social media policy for city employees that will govern use of such Internet sites as Twitter and Facebook.
• Unanimously approved a request by Catherine Dortch of the Concerned Citizens Group for city support of its annual parade honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King. City attorney Jerry Miller recommended the group be added as an additional insured entity on the city’s liability insurance.
• Unanimously approved Mayor David Cadle’s recommendation to appoint Warrant Officer Joann Durm to the Crestview Public Housing Authority board, replacing long-time member Sgt. George Stakely, who recently resigned.
• Unanimously approved a revised returned-check policy requested by City Clerk Betsy Roy. The new policy will protect utilities customers who passed a bad check from having their service turned off on a weekend or holiday when they can’t make a proper payment because city offices would be closed.
Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Council approves new water system for northwest Crestview