Parkersburg Utility Board approves payments, agreement
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PARKERSBURG -- The Parkersburg Utility Board approved payments for ongoing projects and a bond counsel agreement for the upcoming C8 filtration installation Monday.
The board met a day early since today is West Virginia Day.
They agreed unanimously to approve a letter of engagement with John Stump, attorney with Steptoe & Johnson, to act as bond counsel on the funding for the $12.6 million project to install a granular activated carbon filtration system at the water treatment plant.
"They've done our bond work for some time," Mayor Tom Joyce, the board's chairman, said of Stump and the firm for which he works.
The technology is used to remove C8, also called perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA, from the water. C8 was used for years in the Teflon-manufacturing process at the Washington Works plant. Although its use has been discontinued, it remains present in Parkersburg's water even after treatment, at levels that exceed the 4 parts per trillion draft maximum contaminant level the federal Environmental Protection Agency is expected to finalize this year.
The project is being funded with a principal-forgiveness loan from the West Virginia Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council. The utility won't have to issue a bond to repay the money, but the state agencies require a bond counsel for the process, PUB Manager Eric Bennett said.
The board also voted unanimously, with member Paul Hoblitzell absent and one seat remaining vacant, to approve an $87,711.88 pay estimate for ongoing work on the water treatment plant's backwash basin, tank mixer and south reservoir, as well as to draw down money from American Rescue Plan Act funds the city provided for the improvements to pay that bill. Unanimous votes also approved a $288,191.16 pay estimate for ongoing work at the wastewater treatment plant and a draw from a West Virginia Water Development Authority Economic Enhancement Grant to cover those costs.
Bennett told board members he had requested information from the contractor doing storm sewer improvements for the city in south Parkersburg about relining one of the utility's sanitary sewer lines on Third Avenue in the Edgelawn area.
"That's been a problem sewer for a while, and I asked if they could add it as a change order," he said.
Bennett said he hadn't received a price in time for the meeting, so it would be brought back to the board later.
The utility's next meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, July 5, since its usual Tuesday time would fall on Independence Day.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.