Milton to replace Shipbuilders water tower foundation
Milton Town Council approved a bid for more than $250,000 to replace the foundation of the Shipbuilders Village water tower, but it's unclear when the project will begin.
During a Nov. 17 meeting, council accepted the lowest bid from Corrosion Control Corp. of New Jersey, but work will not begin until the town elects an inspector for the project. Councilwoman Esthelda Parker-Selby and Councilman Emory West were not present for the vote.
Carlton Savage of Pennoni Associates Inc. recommended that the town accept Corrosion Control Corporation's bid, which was the lowest-priced offer at $264,000. He estimated that the cost for a project inspector – if the town chooses Pennoni Associates for the job – could add $12,000 to $20,000 in fees.
Funding for the project will come from the town's utility accounts, which have a current balance of about $972,000, Milton Town Clerk Kristy Rogers said last month.
Milton Public Works employees first discovered cracks in the water tower's foundation about three years ago, and after consulting with engineers about repair or replacement, town officials pursued replacement and relocation of the water tower.
The 110-foot-tall, 75,000-gallon tank built in the late 1980s is in good condition, said Public Works Superintendent Greg Wingo in an October interview. Replacing the foundation will require relocating the tower about 30 feet east of its current location, farther away from the Shipbuilders community.
Corrosion Control Corp. submitted two project estimates for a new water tower base, one using timber pilings, the second using auger-cast concrete. Construction of a new water tower foundation using auger-cast concrete would cost about $47,000 more than the timber pilings and installation would be less disruptive.
Newly appointed councilman Ed Kost questioned spending an extra $47,000 to avoid one week of noise and disturbances to nearby residents.
“It seems to me we're spending $47,000 for noise abatement over a one-week period,” Kost said. “From what I understood from the town's engineer, the potential for vibration damage in the nearby homes is very minimal, if any. ... $47,000 is a significant sum of money.”
Council elected to pursue the more expensive option to avoid disrupting its neighbors H.O. Brittingham Elementary School and Shipbuilders Village. The entire construction project, which includes a new foundation and relocation of the water tower, is expected to be completed within 90 days. Driving piles for the foundation will take about one week, the bid estimated.
Council members also considered the possible risk of further damage to the foundation caused by driving timber piles in deciding on the more expensive option.
“Until you start driving that first pile, I don't think there's any engineer that would say there's no potential for a problem,” Savage said.
Once the new foundation is completed, the water tower will be moved by crane and will be offline for about one week, Savage said.
Although town council voted to accept Corrosion Control Corp.'s bid for the project, the company will not receive a notice to proceed with the work until an engineer firm is selected for inspection during construction. Council did not discuss a deadline for selecting an inspector.
