At the August 16, 2023, Hot Springs Village Board Meeting, Public Services Director Ken Unger presented two proposals for necessary maintenance of the Village water system. The first issue addressed was the replacement of the twenty-seven-year-old water plant actuator valves. The second issue had to do with the repair of a leaking water tank on Jarandilla Drive.
Waterplant Actuator Valves
Unger said it is time to replace 24 actuator valves in the water filter components of the plant. The actuator valves are 27 years old.
Three suppliers returned our bid request; the most competitive price was from the company that provides the same actuator valves we already use.
The original budget for this project was $250,000. We can complete most of this job for about $105,000 to $110,000. Unger said they are still working on quotes for installing eight actuator valves. The HSVPOA Public Services waterplant operation/maintenance team will install sixteen valves. The proposal presented on August 16 was only for materials. Unger expected to receive the quote for installing eight valves to run between $5,000 and $10,000. Unger said he would return to the board for approval of installation costs.
The motion carried unanimously.
B3 Water Tank Repair
Unger said a stream of water is seeping from the B3 water tank above Jarandilla Drive. This tank used to serve as the clear well for the old water plant. “After draining the tank several times and isolating mains, we determined there is a leak at the joint inside the tank, between the concrete tank walls and floor,” shared Unger.
The B3 tank has had piping and interior leaks in the past. Unger noted the previous patchwork.
“We went out to bid with four different companies. A materials manufacturer and an engineer looked at the tank. The entire perimeter seam must be sealed with a three-part water-proof epoxy material. This is the only answer we have to sealing the B3 tank,” explained the Public Services Director.
Unger stated that the bid was for $95,000 and that, unfortunately, these repairs are expensive. In Unger’s long-range plan, “we will probably target this tank to abandon. I look at this as a stop-gap fix.”
Board Member Bob McLeod asked, “This is a fifty-year-old tank?”
Unger said it is.
General Manager Kelly Hale said, “This is a stop-gap, as Ken [Unger] said. We can get another three to five years because we don’t have the immediate need. But Ken has identified future needs before they become a crisis. That is why we are out doing these things. We are getting in front of them ahead of time so it doesn’t turn into emergency management.” Hale said from what they can determine, this level of planning has not been done in past years.
Unger said that the company responding to the bid has performed previous work in the Village, and he is comfortable with them.
According to Unger, many times when out-of-state companies return our bids, the mobilization costs drive up the price of the bid. An out-of-state company will charge much more because they must mobilize material, equipment, and people. Companies that are located nearer to the Village can compete more aggressively.
Unger said the tank has been leaking for a while, and the Health Department doesn’t look kindly on us for allowing known leaks to continue.
The motion was unanimously approved.
Cover image from left to right at the podium – Chris Boutzale, Superintendent of Water & Wastewater; Ken Unger, Public Services Director
By Cheryl Dowden
Contact Information for Public Services Director
Ken Unger
Director Public Services
Hot Springs Village
501-226-9609
Kunger@hsvpoa.org
