City sewer pump replacement on schedule

Work to replace the city's ailing sewage pump system is on schedule, set to be completed just after mid-May.

Drivers on their way to the laundromat and Reliance Harbor will have noticed

workers opening up access to Node 4 at the intersection

with Case Avenue, just outside of Rayme's Bar. The pump

station there is one of two slated for replacement, and Wrangell Public Works will be taking the opportunity to

overhaul both sites with new utilities and improved

accessibility. New pumps means replacement parts will be easier to come by as well, which had become next to impossible for the present 40-year-old system.

The project was contracted to CBC Construction out of Sitka, for $821,000. A sole-source procurement expenditure was approved with Alaska Pump & Supply for the pumps and control panels, which will cost $186,380. Additional costs for engineering and parts have pushed the total price tag to around $970,000, though that may increase.

Funds are largely to come through a grant from the

Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, sourced from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) block grant funding. This will cover 75 percent of the total costs, with Wrangell responsible for the rest.

For its match, the city turned to the United States Department of Agriculture for further

funding, which comes in the form of a $68,000

grant and $91,000, 40-year loan. Together that

brings the city's share of the costs down to

approximately $78,000.

While work on Node 4 takes place, bypass systems have rerouted sewage along to the next station. The switch over from the bypass system is expected within the next week, once technicians with Alaska Pump arrive.

"They want to make sure it's turned on properly," said Ruby McMurren, Public Works' project manager. "It's very important that they're there."

Node 6, the next slated for replacement, is located

near the boat ramp by the power plant at Case Avenue. The replacement process will be repeated after Node 4 is

finished, with substantial

work on that due for

completion by the third week of May.

Once both pumps are installed, they will service 80 percent of the sewage

Wrangell produces. McMurren explained the new pumps will also have the capacity to accommodate future population growth.

After the physical work

finishes, the city will still have to wrap up its paperwork for

the grant largely paying for it.

A filing deadline has been

set for June 30 already, after a

six-month extension was received. If this deadline

passes, McMurren said the

city could be on the hook

for the bulk of the financing.

"We have a whole bunch of close-out paperwork to be filed," she said.

But CBC has been

working at an accelerated

pace in order to make

sure Wrangell has ample time to close out the project.

"They have been

working seven days a week," said McMurren. She said the firm has been making the most of occasional delays as

well, conducting preparatory work at the other site until needed electrical components arrive.

The disruption to traffic

has been minimal, she added, and the city will work with Rainforest Island Ferry to

mitigate disruption to its

service when sewer

pump replacement is

undertaken at the Case Avenue ramp.

"I don't see a lot of

interruption there," she predicted.

The city will be holding a public meeting in City Hall on Monday at 6:30 p.m. to provide information about the progress of the project and to answer any questions.