Engineering Firm Chosen For Durbin Water Project

Durbin, WV – The Durbin water project is one step closer after the Pocahontas County Public Service District voted to accept a bid from JF Allen at their meeting Tuesday night. The project will repair and upgrade leaking water lines in Bartow, Frank and Durbin in northern Pocahontas County.

The PSD received four bids on the project from Green River Group, JF Allen, Triple H and Versacon, ranging from just under $480,000.00 to just under $706,000.00. PSD Water Manager Ricky Barkley says the quotes include the cost of road repairs requested by the West Virginia Division of Highways.

“The total bid is for the total project” he says “and there was only so much money allotted for the project. The [WV] DOH came back and said we want you to mill the road on the main street in Durbin, and that was almost half of the project money right there. So that’s what this alternative was – not to do the main street of Durbin, just along the hardtop.”

“They bid it that way, so they could take that alternative off, and hopefully the DOH will come in and look at it better and say well, you don’t need to mill the whole road; just go ahead and dig those service lines up and replace them and put the asphalt back.”

Here’s how the bids break down:

Green River Group – $705,900.00 Total cost ; $178,040.00 DOH alternative

JF Allen – $479,295.00 Total ; $163,045.00 DOH alternative

Triple H – $491,100.00 Total ; $105,050.00 DOH alternative

Versacon – $514,400.00 Total ; $176,603.50 DOH alternative

PSD Chairman Tom Shipley asked about the ramifications of deducting the DOH alternative from the project.

“This alternative that we’re taking out – does that result in some people not being served?” asks Shipley. “No, everybody still being served” replies Barkley. “They just won’t have their service line replaced from the main meter. If it busts or leaks, I would have to go in and repair it” says Barkley.

Randy Watson with Thrasher Engineering is overseeing the project for the PSD. He and WD Smith, Executive Director for the West Virginia Region 4 Planning and Development Council, recommended choosing Buchanan, WV based JF Allen for the project. After deducting the DOH alternative cost, their bid for the project is the lowest at around $316,000.00. With the bid approved by the PSD board, the project could begin construction as early as March of 2011.

In other business, the board also announced that eight companies have submitted proposals to address the waste water needs at Snowshoe. At the October meeting of the PSD, board members voted to drop the Thrasher Engineering designed regional sewer plant proposal and re-bid the project. This came after months of protest by Snowshoe homeowners who would have to foot the bill for the estimated 25 million dollar plant. Here is the list of bidders:

Cerrone Assoc Consulting Engineers
Dunn Engineers, Inc.
S&S Engineers, Inc.
Randolph Engineering
Waste Water Management, Inc. (David Rigby)
RK & K Engineering
Stafford Consultants, Inc.
Potesta & Assoc Engineering, Inc.

The PSD board also approved the following:

Purchase of a spare hydraulic motor for the Silver Creek wastewater treatment oxidation ditches

A transfer agreement for the Black Bear Crossing collection system.

The Pocahontas County PSD will have a work session on Thursday, December 2 at 4pm followed by a special meeting at 7pm.