Last week, the Grants Pass City Council took another step forward toward ensuring a continuing safe and reliable source of drinking water for the community; the Council voted to amend and proceed with an agreement with Slayden Construction Group for Design Services relating to the replacement of the City’s 90-year-old Water Treatment Plant.
Replacing the Water Treatment Plant has been a priority of the City Council for several years, culminating in September 2021, when the City Council moved forward with approval of the first part of Phase 1 services for the replacement plant.
The Phase 1 services are meant to assist the City Council in the selection of technology for the new water treatment plant, as well as create a detailed design report which would serve as the guidance document to determine overall project costs and schedule.
Due to the complexity of the new Water Treatment Plant project, Phase 1 services were divided into three steps. The first step, Phase 1A, was to perform a detailed analysis of treatment technologies, intake structure, and pipeline route; in February 2022, Council directed staff to begin the design of a plant that uses a membrane filtration technology with powdered activated carbon (PAC); Phase 1B services, executed under a resolution in June 2022, was implemented to select the membrane system chosen by Council as the preferred technology.
Phase 1C services, executed under a resolution last Thursday, directs Slayden to complete the design of the new Water Treatment Plant, and determine the Guaranteed Maximum Price. The design is scheduled to be completed in 16-18 months, and a Guaranteed Maximum Price should be ready to present to Council for consideration in the Spring of 2024. The maximum fee for Phase 1C services is $5.7 million.
The Council is pursuing grant and low-interest financing through FEMA, Business Oregon, and the Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund. This Scope of Work pursued under Phase 1C services assumes the work must comply with federal funding requirements and Council direction, one of which requires Slayden, the Design-Builder, to advertise and encourage local contractor participation. The Council is also seeking a low-interest loan of approximately $57 million through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act Program (WIFIA) to help finance the Water Treatment Plant project.
Other upcoming activities include:
- Membrane procurement mid-October
- Grant application for Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant in December
- Design development workshops through November to detail floor plans, equipment, and instrumentation
- WIFIA letter of interest submission this month
More information about the new Water Treatment Plant can be found here: https://www.grantspasswater.org/