Minutes - Council - 08/08/2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Case #5: Award Contract for Wellhouse No. 3 (Improvement Project #00-29) City Engineer Olson stated that Wellhouse No. 3 is proposed to be constructed approximately 1,000 feet due south of Well No. 4 in the City's western well field located in Section 28. Plans and specifications have been prepared by Bolton & Menk, Inc. and bids were opened on Friday, July 21, 2000. Bids were received from five contractors and ranged from $418,300 to $466,455. Infinity Builders Corporation, Maple Plain, Minnesota, provided the low bid and have the necessary experience to successfully complete the wellhouse project. Included in the 2001 Capital hnprovements Program is an item to install a generator in the wellhouse to retain power through periods of power outages and provide cost savings to the City of Ramsey during periods of high energy demands. The generator was bid as an alternate to the base bid and ranged from $82,000 to $87,650. The bid from Infinity Builders for the generator was $85,000. There are some issues that arise from the installation of a generator. The generator is powered by natural gas and currently there is no natural gas provided to the site. Bolton & Menk have contacted Reliant Energy to inquire of the possibilities of providing service to the site and have been assured that it will be provided at a cost of approximately $10,450 assuming that there will be an easement across the property from C.R. #116, known as the BMA property. It was noted that Reliant Energy would reimburse the City with each industrial/commercial hook-up on the site. Mr. Olson explained that there is a benefit to installing the generator during the construction of the wellhouse. With the construction of the wellhouse there is also a Supervisory Controls and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system that will be installed. SCADA is a system that transfers information to parts that are integral to the operation of the system. If a power outage is encountered, the SCADA system tells the generator to turn on, thereby ensuring continuous operation and water to the residents of Ramsey. The installation of the generator under the same Contract ensures that all facets of the system work prior to release of final payment. The addition of the generator does not alter the low bidder and since the substation completion of the wellhouse is March 1, 2001, the money will not be spent until that time. Councilmember Connolly inquired as to who would maintain the generator. Director of Public Works Kapler replied that they would probably have to contract out the maintenance on the generator. Councilmember Anderson inquired if the generator would be able to pump out enough water if necessary. Director of Public Works Kapler replied that it would meet emergency needs. Councilmember Connolly inquired if the maintenance agreement was included in the cost. City Engineer Olson replied no. Councilmember Hendriksen questioned if it was logical to have the generator connected to natural gas since often times in a natural disaster natural gas is impacted as well as electricity. City Council/August 8, 2000 Page 9 of 14