Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Last Easement Problematic

There appears to be a hitch in the final condemnation easement for the Gurdon Rural Water Project.

Harold Hurst, manager of the Gurdon Water and Sewer Department, informed members of the Gurdon Water and Sewer Commission, the last person involved hasn't signed off yet, though a check was cut to pay for the property.

Charles Summerford, project engineer, told the panel he received a letter from attorney Eric Hughes, who will talk with Ed McCorkle and possibly get a court order to finish the condemnation process and complete the deal.

Summerford spoke about the 10th Street water tank project as well. He said the paint specifications from before were included in the proposal to let the project out for bid to clean and repaint the tank's interior.

For the project, the interior of the tank will be grit blasted to bare metal and have two coats of epoxy paint painted on. Epoxy paint, Summerford said, is good for areas where there is no sun.

In addition, the outside of the tank will be cleaned and spot painted where necessary. Repairs will be made to the exterior where needed as well.

Mostly, he said, the outside needs a good cleaning. The leaks on the tank appear to be on both sides at the top of the riser pipe.

As Summerford pointed out, the tank was originally built in 1972 and has had no interior work done to it since. When the tank was examined last spring, he said, it looked rough.

A couple of seams may be rusted through on two sides, but these can be repaired easily enough.

All of this information was placed into the bid specs, but Summerford couldn't give any specific number for the cost. This is because the contractor could run into unexpected problems.

Once the interior of the tank has been grit blasted, it will be pressure washed with a strong chlorine solution before the epoxy paint is applied.

Outside, he said, a polyurethane coating should suffice.

Five companies asked for bid packets, with the bids to have been opened Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 11 a.m. All five companies, Summerford said, have done this type of work before and all are reputable.

However, he said, it will take about 30 days to complete the job if the contractor has all the equipment on hand when work begins. And, he added, for the polyurethane coating and epoxy paint to set properly, the temperature needs to be above 50 degrees. Humidity can also affect the drying capability of these compounds.

Hurst asked Summerford about the Bowen Hill lift sewer station.

Summerford said his office had received two proposals from one company. The lift station, he said, will be identical to the one on Highway 67 going to Gurdon High School.

The only difference in the proposed new pump and old pump will be horsepower efficiency. The new pump will be three horsepower, but will be 55 percent more efficient.

This type of lift station, Summerford told the commissioners, is the most durable around with the fewest problems. Once the equipment is put in place, it will literally be a new lift station.

However, once the order is placed for the station parts, it will take about eight weeks to arrive.

In the meantime, the water department personnel needs to tear down the existing building and remove the pump and piping.

The suction pipe, he said, can be cut to fit the new station. It will run $800 to $1,000 to get the electrical work done for the new equipment.

Once everything is in place, the company manufacturing the station will have someone on hand to make sure everything works before signing off on the project.

The existing station, he said, is 18 years old and was bought used by the city. But, Summerford said, he has had excellent success with this kind of station.

Hurst said this is an emergency situation, but the project is more than $5,000 and bidding is usually required for such projects. However, he will check on the legality of not advertising for bids because of the need for getting a new lift station in.

The board gave Hurst tentative approval to purchase a unit without bidding if this can be done legally. Otherwise, the bid process will be followed as required.

Summerford, returning to the topic of the rural water project, said he's nearly ready to recommend a final inspection, if all the last details can be worked out. He said the department needs to consider penalties on the contractor to protect the city and because the job took longer to complete than the contract allowed.

The department will also be looking to purchase a new air compressor.

Hurst said G&S Trenching, the company that did the rural water project, has one for sale and originally asked $7,500 for it but came down to $6,500. Still, this is above the $5,000 limit the department can spend without letting bids.

The commissioners agreed to seek bids for a new compressor, using specs from the one offered by G&S Trenching.