By: Lydia Crawley The Parsons Advocate
The City of Parsons Council received an update on the status of several urban improvement projects from Thrasher representative Randy Watson during the Council’s regular April 1 meeting. Watson provided updates on the Hamrick-Parsons Interconnection Project, Parsons Sanitary Sewer Project and the Parsons Water Improvement Project, as well as the City’s long term improvement plans and plans for the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Watson said that construction on the Hamrick-Parsons Interconnection Project is complete. Thrasher is currently closing out the project. Thrasher is collecting record drawings on the project for the City records and will have them available for Council in May, according to Watson. Other final details on the project include releases from the Department of Highways, Watson said. “We got the emergency interconnection between Hamrick and Parsons, that construction is done,” Watson said. “We’re just working on closing that out.”
Design on the Parsons Sanitary Sewer Project is 90% complete, according to Watson. Required comments from the Department of Environmental Protection have been addressed, Watson said. Specification and contract documents are currently being worked on, according to Watson. “On the Parsons sanitary sewer improvement, the design is 90% done,” Watson said. “We’ve addressed the comments from the DEP. We are required to send those to the DEP and they tell you what they want changed and whatever. We’ve done that.”
A long term control plan is also being completed by Thrasher, Watson said. As part of the plan, Thrasher is looking at such items as future line placement, separation of storm water and sanitary sewer lines and future plans for the Wastewater Treatment Plant, Watson said. “We’re also working on your long term control plan for your sewer,” Watson said. “And what we do as part of the updates it will include any future sewer line replacements and separating storm and sanitary, as well as what we intend to do someday or suggest that you do at your wastewater treatment plant.”
As part of the process, Watson said that Thrasher would like to sit down with the Council and discuss the Council’s thoughts and expectations on future projects. “We’d like to request a workshop with Council for like before a Council meeting sometime so we can sit down and go over specifics of the review and your expectations of what the project would include, what you want to do,” Watson said.
Design on the Water System Project is 80% complete, according to Watson. Watson also said that he came to the meeting early to go over the plans and he discovered areas where he could save the City money on the project. “I came over early today to go over that design,” Watson said. “I found some things that I think we can save a lot of money, places they were looking to put the line. I think I saved some money today and make sure it works hydraulically for you.”
Watson said that his company would be in touch with the City to discuss the City’s credentials to the Department of Highways permit portal for upcoming permits. “We’ll be in touch with you to discuss credentials for DOH permit portal,” Watson said. “Now you can’t just submit the plans and say get me a permit. You got to enter a portal and its a little bit more difficult, but we’ll be in the process of doing that here shortly.”
Watson said that plans for supplying the City with an updated hydrant map would be better put on hold until the end of the water project due to the possibility of changing hydrant placement throughout the course of the project. “It says we will provide you with an updated map of the City with the hydrants located on it,” Watson said. “I don’t know. That might be a waste of time. I’d wait until the job is done because sometimes those hydrants move a little bit and I’d just as soon give it the exact where they are.”
Thrasher is currently exploring options for the Wastewater Treatment Plant, Watson said. The Wastewater Treatment Plant is one of the subjects that Thrasher wishes to discuss during a work session meeting with the City in the near future, Watson said. “On the wastewater plant, we are doing preparations and viable options for the replacement or upgrading of your wastewater treatment plant,” Watson said. “We have that meeting, we can go over it and really sit down and do what is a critical path to what you want to do.”
A specific date or time for the workshop meeting with Thrasher was not set during the session of Council.
