SIDNEY -- The Sidney City Council approved a contract with Midwest Mechanical Industrial Services for work at the city's Wastewater Treatment Facility. 

In December 2022 and January 2023, the City contracted with MC Schaff for engineering services for upgrading the facility's bar screen, influent pumps, grit washer and installation of a stop gate, according to the memo from Wastewater Superintendent Todd Sukup.

"We were going to do this start in 2022. We got snowed out that night in December, so we had to move it to January '23, so we started down this road of putting together some plans and actions to replace our grit washer, our bar screen, influent pumps, and put in a new stop gate. The grit washer was put in in 1997 and it was not made of stainless steel. It was galvanized. And it's about shot now," Sukup said.

He said the bar screening is original from when the treatment plant was building in 1986/87. Sukup added he wants to install finer screening on the bar screen, and the pumps are about 35 years old.

The equipment is expected to arrive in January/February 2025, Sukup said. Tuesday's action appoints a contractor for the project.

His memo states the City expected to receive bids in October of this year. Notices were sent to local contractors and published in local media with no bids submitted. Sukup said he was put in contact with three contractors who expressed interest in the job; two contractors bid on the project and visited the site the first week of December 2024.

Midwest Mechanical Industrial Services submitted a bid of $445,000, and Myers and Sons Construction submitted a bid of $1,135,750. Midwest Mechanical Industrial Services is from Logan, Iowa and Myers and Sons Construction is based in Brighton, Colo. The engineer's estimate is $580,000.

Michael Olsen of MC Schaff & Associates noted in the memo the wide difference in the bids. He said the bidders are responsible and familiar with the project due to them seeking additional information and both bidders visited the site. 

City Manager David Scott said $512,000 of the project is ARPA money and the balance will com from equipment reserves. Sukup said the contractor will have 180 days to complete from start of the project, with a deadline of no later than Dec. 1, 2025.