Contractors building Morro Bay’s new sewer treatment plant are looking for local subcontractors for specific tasks in the $69 million plant, the major part of a massive, $126 million overall project.
According to a notice posted on the City’s website, FBV, a partnership between Black & Veatch and J.R. Filanc Construction Company, Inc., is managing the plant construction project, a 1-million gallons a day, tertiary treatment plant with advanced micro-filtering to produce reclaimable water.
The notice lists the scope of work as, “a Corporation Yard Area, WRF Parking Canopy, Water and Collection Supplies Storage Shed, Open Storage Area, Headworks Area, Treatment Area with Vactor Washdown, MBR System and BNR Basins, RO/UV Building, Product Water Area with Calcite Contactors, IPR Product Water Storage Tank, IPR and Outfall Water Pump Station and Disinfection System, Residual Area with Sludge Holding Tanks, Safe Settle Tank and Belt Filter Press, Emergency Generator Area, Electrical Building, Chemical Facility, Operations Buildings, Maintenance Building, Operations, site work and associated appurtenances.”
The listing of a “corporation yard” led to some confusion, as a new City corp (maintenance) yard, was a bone of contention with the project going back several years.
The idea was to build a new maintenance facility at a new treatment plant site, so when the old plant is removed, the existing corp yard would be removed as well, freeing up the entire City-owned property on Atascadero Road, about 40 acres to some future redevelopment.
t was the insistence by the City on this aspect that contributed to the Rancho Colina MHP site on Hwy 41 being eliminated from consideration, even though it was one of the least expensive sites the City investigated.
And two summers ago, citizens convinced the City Council to have a team of local experts review its project (the current one off South Bay Boulevard), and try and find savings.
Removing the corp yard portion was one recommendation that the Council took, though it rejected a closer site a former cement plant on Atascadero Road after the Coastal Commission drew the line of acceptable locations at Hwy 1. Nothing west of the highway would be acceptable to the Commission staff, which has insisted a new plant be moved away from the coast to avoid coastal hazards.
“You are correct,” City Manager Scott Collins said when asked about the corp yard, “the big corp yard idea was removed from the project prior to RFP going out, as a cost savings measure. BV-F [Black & Veatch/Filanc] is using the term corporation yard in its generic form: i.e. an area for vehicle, equipment and material storage.
“This will only be for water and wastewater material, equipment and vehicles as previously discussed. No non-water/sewer operation material, equipment nor vehicles will be stored at the WRF site.”
The list of available sub-contracts includes: “curbs and gutters, site concrete, asphalt paving, cast In place concrete, reinforcing steel, masonry, metal framing and drywall, metal fabrication and structural metals, casework, FRP railings and doors, roofing, insulation, flashing and sheet metal, doors, frames and finish hardware, skylights, glass and glazing, louvers and vents, ceramic tile, acoustical ceilings, painting and coatings, toilet partitions and accessories, signage, metal building systems, fire-suppression sprinkler systems, plumbing, HVAC, process piping, process equipment and valves, but not necessarily limited to this.”
Bidding documents are available at no cost by contacting Monica Weiss at: mweiss@filanc.com or (760) 497-0170. Closing date for bids is 2:30 p.m. Monday, May 11.
Send quotes to: FBVMorroBay@Filanc.com. Under the City’s contract rules, the company must hire as many local sub-contractors as possible and with the plant contract at about $69 million, there’s lots of money to be made for local businesses.
It should be noted that these contracts are just for the treatment plant portion and do not include the other portions of the overall, “Water Reclamation Facility” or WRF.
The City will soon take bids for the needed conveyance system; the underground piping that will carry raw sewage to the new plant including at least two large lift stations and more than 3 miles of pipes buried under City streets.
The City won’t know these costs until a contract is awarded, though it has been estimated at about $21 million.
The third portion is the recycling system and that too is getting closer to being ready for final design and eventually bidding. Costs for this portion remain to be seen as well.
