In August, the Greater Pottsville Area Sewer Authority expected the replacement of the heating and air conditioning units at its Main Treatment Plant and the West End Pump Station would cost, at most, $50,000.
At its November meeting Wednesday, the sewer authority's engineer, Thomas W. Schreffler from Light-Heigle & Associates Inc., Schuylkill Haven, recommended the authority accept a bid of more than $60,000. But the authority tabled the matter for further review.
"After a thorough review of the bids for the heater/cooler replacement project and having reviewed the bids with the executive director and the solicitor, Light-Heigle recommends the authority award the bid to Bognet Inc., Hazleton. Their total lump sum base bid is $60,200. The alternate bid is $68,200," Schreffler said in his report to the authority.
Meanwhile, Advanced Rehabilitation Technology, Orwigsburg, was the low bidder, with a base bid of $27,800 and an alternate bid of $35,300, Schreffler said.
"Advanced Rehabilitation Technology's bid was not in conformance with the contract specifications on several counts," Schreffler said in his report.
Robert J. Quinn Jr., the authority's first vice chairman, thought the bid was too high: "This doesn't have anything to do with sewage, right?"
Schreffler said that's correct, adding the heating and air conditioning systems in those buildings haven't been upgraded for many years.
"I think it's 1974. It's almost 40 years," Timothy R. Yingling, the sewer authority's executive director, said.
Yingling asked the board to table the matter until the bids could be reviewed further.
In other matters at Wednesday's meeting, Yingling said the authority's workers compensation insurance will go up next year.
"Our broker for that is Higgins Insurance, Pottsville. The actual insurance company is State Workers Insurance Fund," Yingling said.
This year, the premium was $79,285. Next year, the premium will be $112,823, Yingling said.
"We have to attribute that to our claim rates. We have 18 full-time employees," Yingling said.
Also at Wednesday's meeting, the authority hired the following bidders to provide services in 2014:
- R.J. Wentz Excavating LLC, Pottsville, rubber tire backhoe and dump truck rental: backhoe service, $56 per hour, overtime, $64.50 per hour; dump truck, $45 per hour, overtime, $54 per hour
- Jack Rich Inc., Frackville, No. 2 fuel oil bid, $3.1879 per gallon
- Polydyne Inc., Riceboro, Ga., organic polymer flocculent, $1.09 per pound
- Buckman's Inc., Pottstown, liquid sodium hypochlorite, $0.929 per gallon
- Main Pool & Chemical Co. Inc., Dupont, bisulfite, $2.28 per gallon