SOUTH WAVERLY– The Valley Joint Sewer Authority received numerous general contractor bids for the proposed sewage treatment facility upgrade on Cove Street. Authority board members must accept the “lowest responsible bidder,” and Wednesday’s lowest bid was approximately $17 million.

The available bids were broken into four separate contracts by CET Engineering Services, who created the facilities’ land development plan.

Lowest bids were:

Contract 1- General Construction: Layne Christensen Company at $14.8 million.

Contract 2- HVAC Construction: W.C. Eschenaur Son Inc. at $188,800.

Contract 3- Plumbing Construction: W.C. Eshenaur Son Inc. at $178,799.

Contract 4- Electrical Construction: G.R. Noto Electrical Construction Inc. at $1.8 million.

“We are required to take the lowest bidder, but before any decisions are made, we need to check everything and check references,” said Authority Chairman Dr. Pat Musto.

Other costs associated with the project will escalate the estimated total project price to approximately $20 million, said Musto.

Musto roughly estimated that approximately $900,000 would need to be spent on engineering, design, and permit fees.

Another approximate $700,000 would be spent on legal and loan issuance fees, he said.

An approximate $1.5 million would be left in construction fees, which would allow for additional modifications to the original design plan, noted Musto.

The Athens Borough board will meet at the Athens Borough Hall on South River Street on Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. to discuss the authority’s proposed construction plans.

The facility upgrade is mandated by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and is part of the Chesapeake Bay 2000 agreement passed in an attempt to clean up the bay by reducing emissions of phosphorous and nitrogen that empty into it by sewage treatment facilities located along the Susquehanna River.

Authority board members also discussed the sewage treatment facilities’ flood damages.

Two floors within the Cove Street facility were under water, according to Superintendent Craig Allis, who noted that some electrical equipment was damaged.

Federal Emergency Management Agency met with sewage treatment facility officials and estimated that $100,000 in repairs are needed at the Cove Street facility.

“FEMA’s estimate is much higher than our estimate,” said Musto, adding that the authority had estimated $12,000 in repairs.

When flood waters receded, Allis stated that he and three other facility operators were able to get the treatment facility up and running by Sept. 12.

“These guys did a phenomenal job. It is amazing we were back up and running that quickly,” said Musto.

“We are fully operational,” said Allis.