BY TRACY LEE TATE
Special to the Times
The Lake Butler City Commission met Feb. 18, 2025, to discuss routine matters and to get some good news about the options available to deal with the ground water tank.
The water tank was set to be replaced and grant funds secured from the Department of Environmental Protection for the project a little more than two years ago. This water tank was a part of the project to replace and upgrade the aging wastewater treatment plant. With the discharge of the previous city manager and the subsequent financial issues due to that manager’s misspending of some funds earmarked for the project, the commissioners lost sight of the project in the struggle to make sure the city still had enough money to operate as it should. Lake Butler Mayor Melissa Hendrix finally saw the lack of attention to the project and, with the assistance of Mittauer and Associates, the engineers for the project, got needed extensions on the grant funds and got the project back on track.
The situation was not good, with the increase in the cost of labor and materials, the funds secured for the project were found to be insufficient for the cost of the project. Working to cut corners Hendrix, Mittauer and members of the commission pared down the cost of the project to make it possible with the grant funds awarded – doing away with some of the “blue-sky” features added into it be the former city manager such as solar power for the facility.
The entire project is multifaceted, with several grants secured for different parts of the whole. The ground water tank is one of these facets. The funds provided by DEP totaled $730,000 for the new tank and its installation. When the bids for the project came in the lowest bid, made by Kent Bros., Inc, of Palatka, was $1,008,093, exceeding the grant amount by $278,093. At the January meeting of the commission, Mittauer engineers suggested that the city consider refurbishing the existing tank rather than replacing it and discussed this with the lowest bidder, who responded with a bid of $680,390 to do the refurbishment. Mittauer had already arranged for the change in plans to allow the refurbishment rather than the replacement and DEP agreed to the change.
This refurbishment would include an inspection and testing and repairing any leaks, the removal of the old coating, any necessary upgrades and repairs to the tank (inside and out), finishing with a complete wash-out and disinfection of the interior of the tank. At the end of the process the 200,000-gallon tank will function as well as a new one. There is optional work included in the bid as well, including coatings on baffle walls and an interior wall liner, but these items are not necessary to make the tank safe to use and fully functional. Hendrix pointed out that if the city would forgo the optional work, it would save $340,792 of the grant funds, which could then go towards paying for other aspects of the project. She also said that Mittauer would accompany city representatives to discuss the project with Kent Bros. and see of more saving could be negotiated.
The commission voted unanimously to approve awarding the bid to Kent Bros. and the change order to refurbish the tank rather than replace it. Hendrix and City Manager Kimberly Hayes will accompany Mittauer representative for the negotiations with Kent Bros., with any revisions on the pricing being brought back to the board for approval.
In another project related to the treatment plant project, Mittauer recommended the award of the bid to make necessary modifications to the spray field to accommodate the output from the new plant. The lowest bidder was Commercial Industrial Corp, out of Ocala. The grant amount for this project was $3.5 million, with the lowest bid being $3,346,770, again allowing an overage of funds that may be able to be used elsewhere in the project.
In a related matter, the city is one step closer to finalizing the agreement with FDOC for the provision of wastewater and back-up water services to RMC complex. The RMC has purchased water from the city but about three years ago they had their own wells dug to supply their own water, but the water lines from the city are still in place. Part of the tentative agreement includes $2,500 for a readiness to serve clause that would provide water to the facility in case of an emergency. This readiness to serve would include keeping the water lines in good repair and ready to handle water flow on short notice. Other figures from the tentative agreement (as the contract is being drafted) include a unit cost rate at 138% of the in-city ordinance rate based on 80% of the potable water usage, with a minimum usage charge of 12 million gallons per month. The city should receive the contract soon for approval. The figures are set to include the cost of a new employee that will be needed at the new plant.
