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12-04-89 v MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE WIIDIE OF AI ANFIC BEACH CITY COMNIISSION HELD AT 7:00 PM ON VCI'IDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1989 M' CITY HALL The meeting was called to order by Mayor Gulliford. Present in addition to the Mayor, were Commissioners Cook, Edwards, Tucker and Weldon. Also present were City Manager Leinbach and City Clerk King. The meeting was held for the purpose of interviewing representatives of three engineering firms who had submitted proposals for engineering services in connection with the possible consolidation of the Buccaneer and Atlantic Beach wastewater treatment systems. The three firms interviewed were as follows: 7:00 PM Camp, Dresser, & McKee 7:30 PM Gee & Jenson Engineers 8:00 PM Flood Engineers Michael White of Camp, Dresser & &Kee gave a brief outline of the company's history and technical experience in the field of environmental planning. He introduced the members of the project team and gave a brief summary of the experience and responsibilities of each. Mr. White presented a list of similar projects his firm was either working on or had recently completed. He said his firm was a full service firm and would not subcontract out any of the work. Mayor Gulliford inquired whether Mr. White felt the land available at the Atlantic Beach site would be sufficient for the proposed expansion, and also for future needs in the event the present system would not meet more stringent criteria for wastewater treatment which may be mandated by the state. Mr. White said it would be their hope that the plant would be constructed is such a way as to allow for modification in the event upgrading to AWT was required. Commissioner Weldon asked how the proposed expansion would affect the residents living in close proximity to the plant and Mr. White said the design would address odor and noise control which he felt could be kept to acceptable levels. Commissioner Weldon also inquired into the advisability of pumping the flow from the Buccaneer plant to the Atlantic Beach plant and Mr. White explained he did not feel this would present a problem. When asked what savings would be realized through consolidation, Mr. White explained the bulk of the savings would be in the cost of plant operation. He presented two alternative layout plans which illustrated the proposed extension to the existing plant. After the conclusion of the interview with Camp, Dresser & McKee, Commissioner Cook inquired whether the interviews by the commission represented a departure from the procedure previously used for selection of companies for professional services on other city projects. Commissioner Tucker responded that since the Professional Services Committee was formed in 1987, the top three or so companies had been interviewed by the commission. Mayor Gulliford said in view of the magnitude of the project and the large capital outlay involved, he felt Page Two Minutes of meeting of Committee of the Whole December 4, 1989 it was not only the right, but the obligation of the commission to find out as much as possible about the project and the companies involved before taking action the the matter. The interviews by the commission were in no way intended to question the decision of the committee. Bill Armentrout of Gee and Jenson addressed the commission on behalf of their company. He introduced the members of his firm who would be working on the project. He said they had spent considerable time reviewing the site and talking to city staff. He said interim capacity would need to be provided for the Buccaneer district since that plant had reached capacity. To accomplish this they would propose to shift some capacity from Buccaneer to Atlantic Beach plant. This, in turn, would necessitate the need to move rapidly with the expansion of Atlantic Beach in order to accommodate continuing growth. He said it was important to select a process and design a facility that could be modified economically in the future to moot future effluent requirements which may be mandated. In doing this, Gee & Jenson would try to hold the line on cost as much as possible. The Smith and Gillespie study estimated over 3. MGD would be needed by 1992, and Mr. Armentrout said one priority would be collection system modifications in the Buccaneer District and the interim improvements to the Buccaneer plant so it could continue to be used for the next several years. He said it would be necessary to work with the city's financial advisor to decide on the best method of financing the project and appropriate phases of construction. Andy May explained Gee & Jenson would propose to redirect the flow from an area in the North Atlantic Beach, Ocean Walk, and Courtyards area, to the Atlantic Beach plant and construct a new pumping station at Tiffany by the Sea. Using maps he outlined proposed force main improvements and replacements which would follow the shortest possible route, representing the most savings to the city. He demonstrated plans for three alternate plans for the extension to the Atlantic Beach plant. The first alternative would allow the most flexibility for expansion to meet any future treatment requirements and would require the purchase of a small piece of land abutting the city property. The second alternative would allow expansion of .75 MGD over the current requirements and would propose to convert the existing Davco plant to an acerbic digester, thus, eliminating approximately $10,000 per year in maintenance costs. The third alternative was similar to the system currently used by the city and would allow for flexibility in operation. It could be constructed in two phases with the first phase providing 1.2 MGD capacity. Sludge dewatering would be in an enclosed facility with odor Page Three Minutes of meeting of Committee of the Whole December 4, 1989 control if necessary, and Mr. May said this should be the alternative the city should consider most closely. Mr. Armentrout said the regional force main had been designed to be expanded through modification of the controls on each of the pumping stations, thus for an expenditure of approximately $100,000, the required capacity could be accommodated. Commissioner Cook inquired regarding the future plans for the Buccaneer plant and Mr. Armentrout said flow from the Buccaneer plant would be rerouted to the Atlantic Beach plant and ultimately the two plants would be consolidated with the usable parts of Buccaneer salvaged for use where possible. Commissioner Cook also inquired about the land which would have to be purchased to accommodate alternative No. 1 and was advised it was approximately one and one-half lots. Mayor Gulliford asked whether the available land would be sufficient to meet future needs and Mr. Armentrout said he felt they could meet the needs of the city and provide a very flexible design with a minimum of land acquisition. He also said a meeting with representatives of DER, Bio-Environmental Services, and the St. Johns River Water Management would be advisable before deciding which alternative to use. He said 6.5 MGD had been projected as a requirement at complete build out capacity. Mayor Gulliford asked about sludge composting and Dr. Milton of Gee & Jenson said while sludge composting was most desirable, the proposed 503 rule set very strict limits on metals, to the point where no one could meet those rules. However, it is to be expected this rule will be substantially revised. Ron Duguid of Flood Engineers introduced the members of their project team and outlined their areas of expertise and responsibilities. He gave a brief synopsis of Flood Engineers and their experience on other similar projects. He introduced Dr. Ron Benson who addressed the project under consideration. Dr. Benson said the project would consist of replacing the Buccaneer plant with a pumping station and force main to bring the wastewater to the Atlantic Beach plant. He presented an illustration of the current Atlantic Beach wastewater treatment plant along with the proposed expansion. He said the proposed expansion provided for an economical plant which would be easy to operate and would have 5.0 MGD capacity and could be constructed without interfering with the operation of the existing plant. The plan would place blowers and other like units together in one location in an effort to control odor and noise and to provide for more flexibility in operation. Page Four Minutes of meeting of Committee of the Whole December 4, 1989 Dr. Benson also emphasized the experience and expertise of their firm. He gave examples of other similar projects which are either under construction or have been completed and said they have many repeat clients which suggests satisfied customers. He said they are a full service company, including surveying and architectural, and would not need to sub-contract out any of those services. They strive to provide quality work. Commissioner Tucker asked about a Jasper project and Dr. Benson said there had been a delay due to permitting, but the project had been completed within budget. On inquiry from Mayor Gulliford regarding whether the available land would be adequate for future expansion, Dr. Benson said the proposal presented would provide 5.0 MGD which would fit on the available land. If stricter treatment was required in the future, Dr. Benson felt the land the city owned on the west side of the existing plant would be sufficient but they had not reviewed that in detail. After the interviews the Mayor called a five-minute recess. The meeting was again called to order and Commissioner Cook inquired in what order the three firms had been ranked by the committee. Commissioner Edwards said Gee & Jenson had been ranked first, Camp, Dresser & McKee second, and Flood Engineers third. Commissioner Cook moved that the City Commission reiterate the recommendation of the committee and initiate negotiations with the nuMber one ranked firm. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Edwards and was unanimously approved. Mayor Gulliford said he felt more informed about the project and felt better about voting on the matter. He said Gee & Jenson's presentation was substantive and specific. Commissioner Cook agreed with the Mayor and said he was glad the Commission had conducted the interviews and hoped they would follow this procedure in the future. * * * * * * * * * * * * * The City Manager reported he had been working with Fleet Landing to negotiate an arrangement for the installation of force main which would be mutually beneficial to both Fleet Landing and the city. He asked Don Ford to report on the matter. Don Ford said the Fleet Landing project had planned to lay an 8" force main along the west side of Selva Marina golf course to the sewer plant. Two of the companies interviewed this evening had proposed to install a city force main in the same location. He said he had approached Fleet Landing and requested that they install dual force mains which would provide for the city's future use and Fleet Landing's present use, thus Page Five Minutes of meeting of the Committee of the Whole December 4, 1989 eliminating excavation costs in the future. He said the city was also asking Fleet Landing to build a lift station near the water plant, or to enlarge the present lift station to accommodate their project and also to meet future needs. He presented the Commission with a tentative budget for the city's portion of the project for their review and said a further meeting had been planned with the Fleet Landing representatives. Mayor Culliford announced the Christmas tree lighting ceremonies with school choruses and band and church choirs in Russell Park on Thursday, December 7 at 6:00 PM, which he hoped would become a traditional event. There being no further discussion, the meeting adjo :d at 8:55 PM I I I L/1it.._`e Wi liam I. Gullifo�:'W Mayor/Presiding OM.- 104 AT T .E S T: W4C4,1)-e...2., ' cwMaureen Ring, City Clerk