News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The Sisters City Council voted Thursday, August 22, to put out a Request for Proposal for Phase II of the city's Comprehensive Waste Management Plan. Phase I was conducted by HGE, Inc. of Coos Bay.
According to City Administrator Barbara Warren, the second phase of the study will take the city all the way through the Department of Environmental Quality and Environmental Protection Agency permitting process. At the end of the study, which is projected to take at most 18 months, Sisters will be in the position to decide whether or not the city will have a sewer, Warren said.
The study will provide a cost estimate for construction of a sewer system and determine what type of system is most appropriate for Sisters. The study will also determine hook-up and monthly service fee costs for Sisters residents.
The cost to individual Sisters residents will depend largely upon what funds are available for the project through grants, Warren said. She noted that the city will research funding as the study is conducted.
The city will have $110,000 to spend on the study. The U.S. Forest Service is contributing 80 percent of that total, with Deschutes County contributing an additional 10 percent. The City of Sisters will contribute $10,000 to the study and $1,000 in "in-kind" services, mostly providing information.
The city is not legally required to put the project out for bid, but the city council elected to do so at the urging of Public Works Director Gary Frazee.
Frazee said he had no objection to HGE, Inc.'s work to date, but that with such a large sum involved he believes the project should be open to competitive bidding.
City Attorney Geoff Gokey acknowledged that, while the city wasn't bound to do so, "it's always been our position, especially with large amounts of money, that it doesn't hurt" to shop for bids.
Gokey noted that in reviewing bids for professional services the city is not required to go with the lowest bidder. The city is free to select the best qualified firm to provide the service.
Warren said that a Request for Proposal will go out as soon as the grant money for the study is awarded, which should happen in early September.
The decision as to whether Sisters will actually go forward with construction of a sewer must be made by a vote of Sisters residents. According to Warren, that decision is at least two years away.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
Reader Comments(0)