The Trenton Board of Public Works is looking at an estimated $80,000 bill to clean up an area at the city’s electric plant that contains underground storage tanks.
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The Trenton Board of Public Works is looking at an estimated $80,000 bill to clean up an area at the city’s electric plant that contains underground storage tanks.
According to information provided by City Administrator David Blackburn after a 50-minute executive session which preceded the meeting Tuesday evening at city hall, there were four concrete vaults constructed at the electric plant in the 1930’s. The vaults were used to store diesel fuel when the city used to generate its own electricity sixty years ago and two of the vaults were abandoned approximately 25 years ago. No contamination was found around those two vaults, but the other two and the soil around them are still contaminated and the board will be working with the Burns and McDonnell engineering firm, which came up with the cost estimate, to address the issue.
It is not known what the cost to dispose of the contaminated dirt will be or where it will have to be disposed. The Missouri Depart-ment of Natural Resources has been notified of the situation.
Electric customers will see a $10 credit on their December bills following action by the board.
Members agreed to the credit for each bill after it was noted the utility made approximately $50,000 by generating and selling electricity this summer.
In other business, the board agreed to begin providing trash billing service for the city’s contracted trash hauler, City Sanitation.
TMU Accounting Supervisor Theresa Price said the utility company will receive 3 percent of the amount billed for providing the service and it will allow the utility to change its billing format from a post card to a statement format.
It was also noted the change will only be for residential customers, allowing them to write one check for both services and trash bills will now be sent monthly instead of quarterly.
The board approved the purchase of a utility vehicle for use by the sanitation department from Golf ‘N’ Go in Chillicothe for $5,413.59.
Also approved was the purchase of a water pump for the water department in the amount of $7,500 plus the cost of an epoxy coating for the pump. It was the lowest of two bids received. Water Plant Supervisor Roger Sullivan discussed with the board members future improvements which need to be made.
The sanitation improvement project is approximately 76 percent complete according construction supervisor Dave McGee of the engineering firm of Shafer, Kline and Warren. He said the treatment plant should be operational within one month and the whole project should be completed between Dec. 15 and 31.
The board approved a pay request from Hardy’s, the contractor on the project, in the amount of $266,528.81.
Brock Pfost of White Cloud Engineering in Maryville reviewed the problems associated with the loss of water pressure in the city system two weeks ago. He said steps have been taken to keep the problem from occurring again and he made several recommendations, including keeping the Princeton Road tower as full as possible.
He also told the board they should develop a long-range plan for the water distribution system and recommended the system be able to hold at least one day’s usage in elevated storage. The system has about one-half that capacity now.
The board will also investigate the possibility of purchasing a bacteria lab to be used to test the city’s water when there are outages or line breaks. Having a lab in Trenton would result in shorter times for boil orders and help Trenton Home Foods avoid the possibility of long shutdowns. Water samples currently have to be taken to Unionville for testing.
Blackburn provided information to the board about doing a customer survey which was one of the things to come out of a Hometown Connection seminar held earlier this year in Trenton.
He also informed the board about an odor problem in the area east of Normal Street near 17th Street.
He said the problem was traced to an area near the railroad tracks where the storm sewer and sanitary sewer are next to each other and leaking. The problem was fixed by TMU employees.
Following an executive session at the end of the meeting, the board accepted the resignation of Jim Isaacs, who works in the electric distribution department. His resignation is effective Nov. 3.
The next regular meeting of the board is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 16.