City awards bid to replace sewer line behind Institute buildings

The low bidder has been awarded a contract by the city of Weiser to replace an old section of sewer line behind the Institute buildings.
 The existing 6-inch cement sewer line is deteriorating and causing problems on a near-monthly basis. The sewer line drains the Billingsly gym, fiddle contest offices and a few houses to the west of the Institute, and it has been due for replacement, city wastewater department supervisor Lonnie Chambers said.
 The city bought the materials needed for the sewer line replacement to save money but will hire a contractor to do the actual work. The project has already been engineered and approved by the state environmental agency, Chambers said.
 City council members in May approved spending a total of $7,700 for materials, including a low bid on the pipe from Consolidated Supply and three new manholes from Idaho Precast. The city received three bids to supply pipe for the project.
 The city also will buy $2,000 worth of rock chips for the project. The city will use its trucks to haul the rock to save money, Chambers said.
 Chambers said he contacted five contractors about the job of installing the new sewer line. Only two actually submitted bids to the city.
 “Everybody was telling me they are too busy. They don’t have time for it,” he said.
 Installing the sewer line at a depth of nine feet will require some heavy equipment the city does not have to do the work. A trench box to make sure workers are safe while working in the trench requires heavy equipment to move, Chambers said.
 The city council approved a bid last month from Anderson Excavating, of Payette, to do the work for $19,549. The contractor has worked for the city previously, Chambers said.
 “He puts the pipe in the ground the right way the first time,” Chambers said.
 Chambers said the city’s wastewater department doesn’t have a big crew to begin with. If the city did the sewer line work, it would tie up four or five guys and they wouldn’t be able to work on other projects.
 The wastewater treatment department is responsible for cleaning and maintaining over 20 miles of underground pipeline, manholes, and lift stations that carry sewage from homes, businesses, and industrial facilities to the city’s treatment facility on West 9th Street.
 The sewer line replacement is expected to start soon.