Special to the Times
Using robotic cameras to inspect the existing wastewater system serving the City of Lake Butler has enabled Mittauer and Associates Inc. to evaluate the condition of the infrastructure developed over the past century and plan a course of action to bring the system up to today’s standards.
Consulting engineer Greg Lang told the Lake Butler City Commission, at its Dec. 18 meeting, that he as reviewed the results of the evaluation and developed a plan for dealing with the problems.
He said that the materials used in wastewater handling have evolved over the past 100 years. Terra cotta pipe was the order of the day at the time the system was first installed, around the turn of the last century. As the industry has developed, new and improved products were used, with cast iron becoming the order of the day in the mid-20th century.
As new materials were developed and the “iron age” drew to a close, plastics took center stage, ushering in the new millennium. With today’s technology, several options are available to rehabilitate some of the existing pipes.
The older system has deteriorated to the point that, in many places, the only option is replacement. This will involve installing new pipe, meaning that some roads will be closed while the installation is completed in that area. Newer pipe may be able to be fitted with sleeves or liners to seal pipes from the inside in some areas, avoiding much of the digging and road closures.
The total inspection process covered 64,000 linear feet of sewer line and all was filmed to facilitate evaluation. Having completed the inspection and evaluation process the recommendations for renovation have entered the design phase that will plan the rehabilitation of the system.
The State of Florida and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) have established a grant process to help cities and counties develop renovation programs necessary to handle growth in population and economic development.
As a result of the evaluation of the system, project revisions have been recommended and approved by the City Commission. The items scheduled under the original agreement for the project have been revised and rescheduled for completion of all planning and design activities for all projects proposed for grant and loan funding by Aug. 15, 2022. A loan debt service account has been established with the state revolving fund, with monthly payments beginning no later than Aug. 15, 2022. The first semi-annual loan payment amount of $11,339 will come due Feb. 15, 2023.
Mandated under the requirements is a signed contract between the engineering consulting firm and the local government detailing specific design work to be completed and this document must be submitted to the state.
The disbursable amount of planning and design activities costs will be $1,543,000. Financial assistance through grants will cover $1,135,400 with capitalized interest in the amount of $3,700. The principal amount of the loan will be $411,300. All other provisions of the loan agreement shall remain in effect as originally determined.
The City of Lake Butler has received a $1.2 million award, 80% in grant funding from DEP and 20% in the form of a 20-year loan at 0% interest. Lang said that these terms were only available to small cities that present a lower debt threshold and a higher percentage of low to moderate income population.
This phase of the redevelopment plan will implement the design process, allowing the permitting for the surveying of the system and providing geotechnical assessments of the project’s design. Both of these parts of the projects will seek grant funding. A vote to approve the design phase of the proposed project and accept the agreement was proposed the commission and the motion passed unanimously.
Included in this project is a plan to upgrade the fire hydrant system to meet current standards. This plan includes a five-year inspection and flow test regimen to assess and make possible the maintenance of the systems integrity. The current system has over 100 hydrants in operation at this time. The cost of this plan will be $7,200 per year. The commission also unanimously approve this proposal.
In other business, the Lake Butler City Commission voted to approve the purchase of equipment that will approve efficiency in consideration of the limited staff and lack of state inmate labor due to the COVID pandemic. A loader rack grapple for the city’s front end loader was selected from Ring Power, at a cost of $12,974. A brush cutter will also be purchased from Ag Pro at a cost of $10,000. City Manager Dale Walker told commissioners that these purchases will allow more to be done by fewer employees, reducing the overall cost of the labor.
