Merrell Bros Is the Town's New Tenant


(posted Sept 24)


It is official as of September 24. Merrell Bros is the new tenant at The Speedway Waste Water Treatment Plant. The town council's vote permitted President Bill Golay to sign a 30-year land lease that will include building a septic de-watering facility to process septic and restaurant grease waste. The pre-treated water will be discharged into the waste water treatment plant for further processing. At the request of Councilor Gary Raikes, the council also agreed for Merrell Bros to cover portions of engineering and legal expenses that became a necessary expenditure for the town to lease the land.

The council's approval was based on Waste Water Treatment Plant Superintendent Norm Berry stating he was comfortable with the plans now due to ordinance provisions that give the town the ability to assess Merrell Bros with ammonia surcharges along with requiring an industrial pretreatment permit. Berry expressed concerns in previous meetings that the additional waste discharge could tax the treatment system and increase the ammonia levels that the town has exceeded in violation of IDEM limits. Berry did not want to violate the agreed order reached with IDEM. The town will probably spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to correct this problem. At the September 20 workshop meeting, Berry was not sure if the risk of potentially violating the order was worth the revenue.

The council hopes to gain $30,000 to $50,000 a year in revenue from this leasing venture.

Berry announced that IDEM approved of the Combined Sewer Overflow Long Term Control Plan as of September 11. He said that IDEM's concerns would be addressed in the preliminary engineering report and that a no feasible alternative analysis would also be included in the report. He said the preliminary engineering report is due May 2008 and that it does not become a legal document that requires action until the National Pollution Discharge Elimination Pollution Permit issued. He noted there will be a 30 day comment period before the Long Term Control Plan requirement starts. The LTCP requires waste water treatment plants to store excess combined sewer overflows to be treated before being released into the streams during the 1-year, 1-hour event. Currently when the heavy rains exceed plant capacity, the untreated water is discharged into Eagle Creek.

Berry said HNTB Engineer Tom Hutka would be presenting a detailed scope of the preliminary engineering. The council did not request additional engineers to submit proposals for preliminary engineering work. The council earlier interviewed Commonwealth Engineers because Raikes thought they needed other engineers to look at the Long Term Control Plan instead of just relying on HNTB's plan of an estimated $21.3 million.

At a previous meeting, Golay said at any time the Council could choose to select another engineering firm to do the preliminary engineering work.

The council also appointed Berry to review the one bid submitted for the town to purchase a truck mounted sewer jet rodder for $244,821.00 that would be used by the street department.

Clerk-Treasurer Sharon Ziska requested Berry be added to the review group with street commissioner Wendall Walters since some of the revenues from the sewer utility will be used to pay for the expenditure.

The council also approved for street department to purchase a $48,423.91 Bob Cat.

The council also proclaimed September 28 as Russell Gene Hutchens day in the Town of Speedway. Hutchens is retiring from the street department after 34 years of service.

Tim Walter was honored by the town council and cable commission President Steve Arisman for his eight years of service. Walter will be leaving to pursue other job interests.

The council decided to do more research concerning proposed ordinance 1088. The council wants to revise the ordinance concerning vendor permits at the November 26 meeting.

The council approved the 2008 budget without any further discussion. The proposed budget is $11,489,000. The budget still needs final approval from the Department of Local Government Finance.