PARKERSBURG — The Parkersburg Utility Board has staggered shifts and is looking at utilizing retired workers to ensure water and wastewater plant operators remain on the job during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The board held its regular meeting via teleconference Tuesday to follow social distancing guidelines. Manager Eric Bennett said staff members are still being paid as if they’re working full time, but they are rotating throughout the week.

“We’re just bringing in 50 percent for social distancing so they’re not all clumped in together,” he said.

Only one operator is on duty at each plant at a time instead of the usual two, Bennett said. That’s to limit the chances that multiple operators get sick.

The operators ensure the plants continue to function.

“If you don’t have somebody here to interact with the operation of the plant, it can go south on you quick,” Bennett said after the meeting. “They’re highly automated, but they’re not totally automated”

Bennett said he’s seeking guidance from the West Virginia Bureau of Public Health about pulling in retired operators if needed. The bureau oversees certification for operators.

“It’s all as a security measure at this point,” Bennett said. “The next move would be locking people in here.”

That would keep them from being exposed to the virus outside, but is a last resort Bennett said he does not want to use.

During the meeting, the board voted 4-0, with Vice Chairman John Lutz absent, to accept a $79,811 bid from Acrison Inc. for a pair of new feeder/dissolver systems at the water treatment plant. It was the higher of the two bids submitted, but Bennett said the $59,800 bid did not meet the specifications for the system, which mixes potassium permanganate with water during the treatment process to help remove iron and manganese.

The lower bid, from UGSI Chemical Feed Inc., is for equipment similar to what the plant uses now, which has had multiple issues over the years, he said. A memo provided to board members says an operator must routinely intervene in the process to correct the feeding action. That could expose them to the chemical, creating a risk for chemical burns or respiratory problems.

The bid specifications were based on the equipment offered by Acrison, Bennett said.

The board also voted 4-0 to accept a bid of $242,654 for an annual premium from Cincinnati Insurance to provide property and liability insurance for the utility over the next three years. The company has provided the utility board’s insurance since 2014. The premium increased $15,000 from the previous amount.