A public hearing is being held in Ridgefield tonight about the Route 7 Pump Station, Force Main and Waste Water Treatment Facility Decommissioning Project. The hearing will be followed by a Town Meeting.
First Selectman Rudy Marconi says consolidating the two wastewater treatment facilities will address the aging infrastructure in a cost effective way. It will also help the town meeting new state Depratment of Energy and Environmental Protection permit requirements. A pump station will be constructed at the existing Route 7 pump station, a 3-mile long pressure pipeline will also be built to convey the collected wastewater to the South Street plant.
The project low bid was $8.3 million, about 40-percent higher than the estimated $5.8 million cost as a result of the impact of the pandemic on building materials, equipment, and labor. The Ridgefield Water Pollution Control Authority worked to get the project funding gap down to $2.9 million dollars. Ridgefield will use federal American Rescue Plan Act funding in lieu of increased sewer user charges or increasing the mill rate.
The current low bidder’s bid holding period ends in November after which rebidding would likely be required. Marconi notes that DEEP will provide between $900,000 and $1.5 million in grant funding.
The hearing and meeting start at 7:30pm and will be held at Veterans Park Elementary School auditorium.
