Last installation work for Scott County water district to begin soon

BENTON, Mo. -- Scott County Public Water Supply District No. 4 officials are hoping to be providing fresh, clean water to the Kelly and Scott County Central school districts by mid September.

"We have the [water treatment] plant started up and making water," said John Chittenden, president of Waters Engineering in Sikeston, Mo., the engineering firm for the project.

Officials hope to see the snag with the installation of the water distribution system cleared up and back on track next week.

The water district voted May 20 to terminate the contract with the Municipal Construction Inc. of Goodrich, Mich., on that portion of the project because MCI had ceased substantial performance. The move came after two managers with Municipal were charged with wage law violations for not paying project workers correctly.

"About 85 percent of the main lines are installed," Chittenden said. "All the meter settings and house hookups are yet to be done."

MCI's bonding company, Western Surety of Sioux Falls, S.D., is now finalizing the takeover agreement for the remaining work.

As the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development provided funding for the project, "it has to be approved by Rural Development," said Phil Lyon, president of the rural water district.

That adds an extra step to the process.

"There's one more hoop to jump through," Chittenden said. "We hope to get that agreement ratified this week."

Chittenden said it is his understanding that Western Surety has already been working to procure a contractor to finish the job.

Indications are that it will be a local firm Chittenden and his company are familiar with.

"They're really not talking to us too much right now until we have a contract approved," Lyon said of the bonding company. "We expect the contractor, whoever they have selected, is probably going to be ready to start pretty quick."

According to the contract, the project must be completed by Sept. 13 after which the bonding company will be charged $900 per day in damages.

Chittenden said officials hope to see the two schools receiving water from the rural water district by that completion date.

"That's our goal," he said. "That seems obtainable."

While it is likely the schools and some homes will have water service by that date, many homes probably will not.

"They're going to be late," Chittenden said.

Chittenden said final cleanup is also part of the work that must be finished by the contractor hired by the bonding company.

"That's one of the items in the completion agreement," he said.

Chittenden said county residents with damage to their yards or other property damaged during the installation of the water district's pipes need to call the water district. Water district officials will notify Waters Engineering, which should require the contractor to address the problem before signing off on the project's completion.

"If someone has a problem, we need to know if it's not completely satisfactory," Chittenden said.

He said final cleanup will probably not begin until the end of the project, however.

"They won't make the yard pretty until they set the meters and hook the house up," Chittenden said.

Regarding damage to county roads and road shoulders from MCI's heavy equipment, Scott County Presiding Commissioner Jamie Burger said enough of the concerns have been addressed at this point that the county commission is now more focused on seeing county residents get their water.

"Municipal and the water district did some repairs on [county road] shoulders and private driveways," Burger said. "We're OK with just moving on and seeing [the water district project] completed. We're ready for completion and I know everybody else is, too."