Title
Incorporated County of Los Alamos Resolution No. 21-25; A Resolution Authorizing the County Council Chair or Los Alamos County Utilities Manager to Approve Submission of Completed Applications and Necessary Documents for 2022 Applications to the Water Trust Board for Funding Non-Potable Water System Projects
Recommended Action
I move that the Board of Public Utilities endorse Resolution 21-25; A Resolution Authorizing the County Council Chair or Los Alamos County Utilities Manager to Approve Submission of Completed Applications and Necessary Documents for 2022 Applications to the Water Trust Board for Funding Non-Potable Water System Projects, and forward to Council for approval.
Staff Recommendation
The Utilities Manager and staff recommends that the Board approve the motion as presented.
Body
Applications for the 2022 Water Trust Board (WTB) funding cycle are due on October 8, 2021. The DPU proposes to apply for funding to construct a new 833,000 gallon non-potable water tank at the Bayo Booster Station Site and associated pipe improvements to the existing 180,000 gallon tank. Upgrades to the existing open top concrete reservoir include adding a cover, up-size discharge pipe to eliminate cavitation and new tank level sensor instrumentation. A requirement by the WTB is to submit a resolution by the governing body with the application. Resolution 21-25 is provided as Attachment A, which if approved, authorizes the DPU to apply for funding in the 2022 cycle.
Los Alamos County was awarded $900,000 for the same project in the 2020 WTB funding cycle. Bids for the project were received on August 4, 2021. The low bid received was approximately $1.5 million over the budgeted amount. Price increases and material shortages due to the pandemic were the reason for the extremely high bids. The project has now been split into two phases. Phase I will construct a portion of the project with the 2020 WTB award. The 2022 Application will seek funding for phase II to complete the project.
Funding from the WTB is in the form of a grant and loan award. Awards are typically a 60% grant / 40% loan, the WTB determines the split and we will not know until awarded. Loans are typically for a 20 year term at 0% interest.
Alternatives
If the resolution is not approved an application for 2022 Water Trust Board Funding will not be submitted.
Fiscal and Staff Impact
None
Attachments
A - Resolution 21-25
B - Affidavit of Publication
C - Legal Notice