Plant will get upgrades

The Portland Board of Works approved paying more than $20,000 for improvements to the wastewater treatment plant, and also forgave a sewer tap fee at Jay County Fairgrounds.
Wastewater treatment plant superintendent Bob Brelsford presented board members with quotes for surge protection equipment for the plant and repairs that need to be performed on an intermediate pump at the facility.
The board approved the purchase and installation of surge protection equipment for a price of $12,590, and Guston Controls LTD will carry out the work. Brelsford said the equipment is necessary to protect machinery throughout the plant from electrical surges, and it should be installed in about a week.
“I think it’ll pay for itself in two years,” said board member Bill Gibson.
Brelsford concurred, saying, “Most of this stuff is computer operated and it’s very sensitive to (lightning damage).”
Xylem Water Solutions, Indianapolis, will also be carrying out repairs on one of the plant’s intermediate pumps after the board approved the work’s $10,518 price tag.
The pump being repaired is about 10 years old, and one of three responsible for moving water to the plant’s aeration tank. Brelsford said two of the pumps are running at all times, and the pump in need of maintenance is already at Xylem.
The wastewater superintendent said repairing the machine is cheaper than purchasing a new pump, which was $19,453.
Work should be done on the pump in a few weeks, and both the surge protector and pump repairs are being paid for out of sewage operating funds.
In addition to work at the wastewater plant, the board waived fees for running new lines into the city sewage system at Jay County Fairgrounds
New lines were being run out of an existing tap, which was installed in 1995. When the tap was first installed, the city elected to waive charges for it.
Because of this precedent, and because a new tap wasn’t necessary for the additional lines, the $750 fee was waived by the board members.
While the sewage fees were dismissed, the board decided the fairgrounds should still pay for two new water taps that were installed, which cost $500 each.
In other business, board members Gibson, Jerry Leonhard and Mayor Randy Geesaman:
•Approved a reimbursement agreement for Portland police officer Michael Theurer, who must pay the city a fee if he leaves the department before serving for three years.
•Approved changing how Jay County Highway Department is billed for its water usage. Prior to the new agreement, the department’s water bill was calculated using a formula that factored in how many employees worked for the facility. A water meter will be installed at the department and charges will be based purely on usage in the future.