South water tower repainting issues wrapping up

     There were several items on the July 1 Monticello City Council agenda related to the south water tower repainting project.

   The council approved the fourth change order in a decreased amount of $1,021.26.

   City Administrator Russ Farnum explained: “The contractor, Tank Pro, did some minor sandblasting damage to an interior room wall in the base of the water tower. This small room, which was hit with an errant shot from the sandblasting gun, protects the valves and interior piping in the water tower. Rather than have them (Tank Pro) come back and repaint the wall, it was easier and more cost-effective to repaint it with our staff and obtain a credit on the amount due.”

   The council also approved a pay request in the amount of $4,444.80. This is the near-final payment to Tank Pro, with the exception of the 5 percent retainage and final cleanup costs. Farnum said Tank Pro plans to sub-contract the cleanup with a third-party contractor.

   Water/Wastewater Superintendent Jim Tjaden questioned the cleanup efforts at the south water tower site.

   “How will that be addressed?” he asked the council. “I put that on Tank Pro. It’s a mess. They didn’t clean up enough.”

   During the last council meeting, it was noted that water was leaking from the hatch of the water tower.

   “The hatch would not seal correctly, and what started as a small drip that our staff thought was condensation soon turned into a continuous stream of water,” explained Farnum.

   Due to the fact that the hatch had not been opened in 15-plus years, the gasket has deteriorated and was no longer sealing well.

   The city had another contractor, Viking Industrial, inspect the hatch and quoted a not-to-exceed amount of $6,000 to repair the hatch. By hiring Viking, Tank Pro did not have to return to the job site from Alabama.

   Farnum said while the quote was slightly over his spending authority, the work needed to be ASAP.

   The council approved the repairs, after the fact.

   “It was an emergency situation because we had to take the tower out of service,” Farnum told the council. “We should have bid the gasket as part of the project, but it’s costing us the same now versus later.”

   A couple of months ago, it was brought up that second logo on the water tower was not painted in the correct location so that it is visible to north-bound traffic.

   Farnum received a quote from Tank Pro to repaint just the one logo at $37,250. Going back to Viking, they estimated a range of $10,000 to $15,000.

   “Considering the cost to move the logo, the council may wish to instead address the issue the next time the tower is painted,” suggested Farnum.