Bids open on Tyson sewer project

The proposed forced main will be installed primarily on city public rights-of-way in the eastern part of Dexter known as the Cotton Belt. The duplex pump station will be located on Tyson property near the Winston Street and Stoddard Street intersection. The new force main will run along Stoddard Street to Clements Street and then south to the lagoon. City Administrator Mark Stidham said the old gravity-flow sewer line will be retained with the installation of a shut-off valve.

The bids will be considered at the Jan. 4, 2010 board of aldermen meeting. City Engineer Darryl Orr will recommend the bid be awarded to G&C Construction. Orr had estimated the cost of the project at $355,300, but like many similar projects in recent months, the final bid was below estimates. A sagging economy and lack of new construction have brought down the cost of many projects.

The project bid specifications called for a 1200 gallon-per-minute duplex pump station, 5,600 linear feet of 10" PVC force main, replacement of a 12" sewer line and manhole, 30 feet of 24" PVC sewer line, asphalt driveway replacement and compacted chat concrete sidewalk replacement and final site work.

The largest item in terms of cost was the pump station. G&C's bid was $110,000 for the pump station with a high bid for the pump station from Dutch Enterprises of Jackson at $157,142. G&C's total bid was $235,400.

Other bids on the project were:

* C.A.Walker Construction Co. of Dexter, $239,000.10;

* R.L. Persons Construction of Poplar Bluff, $263,350;

* Robertson, Inc. of Poplar Bluff, $267,873;

* Brown Construction Co. of Dexter, $268,700;

* Young's Construction Co. of Hornersville, $285,300.20;

* C&M Contractors of Doniphan, $324,33.75;

* Dutch Enterprises of Jackson, $334,522.

City Administrator Mark Stidham said the project will benefit Tyson's Foods and the residents of the Cotton Belt area of the city. Currently the wastewater from the Tyson plant is serviced by a gravity-flow system that can handle only approximately 800 gallons per minute, Stidham said.

"During increased production at the processing plant the sewer lines cannot handle the flow, especially when coupled with residential flow and inflow/infiltration during heavy rains," Stidham wrote in the grant application.

Stidham added that the wastewater discharged from the Tyson plant now enters the city sewer system south of the plant and is then carried to the lagoon located south of the East City Park. The improvements to be made by use of the grant money include the installation of a 1,200 gallon-per-minute duplex pump station and a 10-inch force main directly from the new pump station to the lagoon. This will take some of the burden off the city's residential sewer lines which will benefit the residents of the area, according to Stidham.

The contract is expected to be awarded by the city at the Jan. 4, 2010 board of aldermen meeting.