County OKs leachate-line change order
Project ran $73K over contractBy MICHAEL ANICH/The Leader-Herald
JOHNSTOWN - Fulton County may have to pay an additional $73,000 to the contractor doing the Department of Solid Waste's $4 million-plus sewer-leachate line project.
A change order for Bat-Con of Marcellus, Onondaga County, was approved by the Board of Supervisors' Environmental Resources Committee Tuesday.
"We're winding down with that project," said Department of Solid Waste Director Jeff Bouchard.
The sewer-leachate line became operational earlier this year. It allows Fulton County to pipe its leachate from the landfill on Mud Road to the Gloversville-Johnstown Wastewater Treatment Facility a few miles away on Union Avenue Extension. The leachate previously was trucked to the sewer plant - a more expensive method.
In April 2007, Bat-Con was awarded a nearly $3.9 million contract for 4.5 miles of line.
Bouchard told the committee that additional work was required due to the amount of bedrock the contractor encountered, which necessitated blasting and additional quantities of pipe, asphalt and gravel installed for roads and driveways.
Bouchard said Bat-Con performed the additional work at a total cost of $73,000.
Bouchard said $80,400 is available in the contingency fund for the project. The work was certified by Barton & Loguidice, the engineering firm overseeing the project.
In other business, the committee authorized the sale of several pieces of surplus Department of Solid Waste equipment from bids opened Sept. 16. Bouchard recommended high bids totaling $2,725 to John Subik for a plow and sander, tractor and plow frame and blade, and high bids totaling $800 from the Gloversville-Johnstown Wastewater Treatment Facility for a pickup truck and utility truck.
The committee accepted a $253,690 bid from William Biers of Albany for a tub grinder, which Bouchard said grinds all the compost, brush and limbs coming into the landfill. He said the machine grinds stumps up to 3 feet in diameter.
Supervisors approved a $398 overnight stay for Recycling Coordinator Dianne Woske to attend the New York State Association of Reduction, Reuse and Recycling's annual conference Oct. 16-18 in Syracuse. Topics will include grant-writing techniques, solid waste management plans, product stewardship, the Go Green Initiative and a school recycling campaign.
The committee also approved a $492 overnight stay for Bouchard to attend the Great Lakes Building Reuse Conference Nov. 16-18 in Buffalo. He said this new conference will have information that could be valuable for the Fulton County Demolition Team.
"I'll come back with a report and let you know what they are saying," Bouchard said.
Bouchard reported officials from the Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery Board of Cooperative Educational Services contacted him to request use of his department as a training site for the BOCES forestry class. Students would assist in clearing trees from the location to be the site for the new gas-to-electric facility.
Bouchard reported asbestos assessments were completed in 18 Gloversville structures, with six showing no asbestos. Demolition will begin this month.
Cleanup programs are in progress, with two more scheduled in October in Perth and Gloversville.
In an operations report, Bouchard said repairs were made to the Caroga compactor.
Michael Anich covers Fulton County and Johnstown. He can be reached at johnstown@leaderherald.com.
