Published: June 12, 2008 09:27 am      

Repairs to Belle Rive water tower slowed down by IEPA

By TESA CULLI

tesa.culli@register-news.com

BELLE RIVE — Water tower repairs will soon be going out for bids, but it will take the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency about 40 days to approve permits to begin repairs.

“I don’t know why the EPA has to be involved — they don’t have a thing to do with water tower construction,” Mayor Donnie Wilkey said Monday during the Village Board meeting. “We need to put in an altitude valve, and it’s going to take 40 days for the EPA to let us do it. Meanwhile, we have water running out on the ground.”

According to Bill Lewis of Roundtable Design, it will take about $35,000 to paint the exterior of the water tank and $36,000 to paint the exterior. The total project, which includes making any repairs, painting, writing construction engineering bids and inspecting the construction, is expected to cost the village about $91,500.

However, William Shorb questioned whether the cost would be more once the contractors began the work.

“If we don’t get firm bids, there will be change orders,” Shorb said. “We don’t want to end up with a project that costs a lot more than we bargained for.”

Wilkey also told Lewis and other members of the board he had been told years ago the coating inside the tank couldn’t be repaired, so the coating would have to be removed and reapplied.

Lewis said although the practice of holding a pre-bid meeting with those interested in bidding on projects such as the tank repairs facing the village isn’t typically done, he would arrange one on this project.

“When we write up the specs and go out for bid, we’ll make sure there is a mandatory pre-bid meeting,” Lewis said. “Then we’ll know what is needed, and they can bid apples to apples.”

With the delays imposed by the IEPA, the repair and painting project won’t be able to begin until fall, Wilkey reported.