Firm offers plant plan

After being fined by the state and pressured to update its wastewater treatment plant, Portland has been presented a potential solution.
Jones & Henry Engineers representative Brian Houghton presented Portland Board of Works with a plan Thursday to update Portland Wastewater Treatment Plant and alleviate problems with high ammonia levels.
Houghton told the board the best option for the city would be an Orbal oxidation ditch, which filters wastewater into one or more aerators, mixing sludge with water for microorganisms to feed. It was the cheapest option Portland could take, he said.
He added the city would need to make upgrades to the plant because some of its large structures are more than 70 years old.
Repairing the concrete tanks would be costly, as they are already deteriorating. The estimated cost for the project is $12.8 million.
Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman said the board will discuss the project again with more concrete information during its July meeting.
In June 2014, the city was fined $6,000 by Indiana Department of Environmental Management for high ammonia levels. Since then, the plant has provided more in-house training, worked on maintanence to ensure that its systems are working effectively and increased the sludge mass in the containers.
In other business, the board — Bill Gibson, Jerry Leonhard and Geesaman:
•Approved a contract for engineering firm Butler, Fairman and Seufert for the Northside Pedestrian Greenway Project at $37,100. A sidewalk will begin at the intersection of Lafayette Street and Creagor Avenue near the Katelynn Place apartments and run along the west side of Lafayette Street before connecting with an existing trail north of Jay County Hospital.
•OK’d a contract for Wessler Engineering of Fort Wayne to extend a waterline near Hoosier Inn, 1620 N. Meridian St., about 2,000 feet west to Portland Municipal Airport. The project is not to exceed $5,200. It also tabled its decision on a contract with the same company to run a water line from Meridian to Charles Street.
•Approved a contract for $5,193.63 with Ball State University staff and students to help create a redevelopment plan for the city.
•Heard the results of the city’s water rate study from Jeff Rowe of Umbaugh. For 2015, the city’s existing cash balance was $4.2 million for water utilities and for the wastewater treatment plant was $2.18 million. Rowe said the results were in a good cash position in the water utilities and wastewater treatment plant.
•Approved a contract lease of $100 a year for Mel Smitley’s property off of Boundary Pike and Union Street. The property holds a 600-gallon per minute well used for emergencies.
•OK’d the contract with Dru Hall the city has for the parking lot behind city hall for $375 a month. The contract asks the city for maintenance, snow removal and bringing the lot up to standard.
•Learned the water department will take the water tower west of the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Franklin Street offline for draining Thursday to begin painting the structure. Geesaman said residents will have no interruptions in water service.