Trending
WHEELING -- The city of Wheeling is eyeing more improvements to its water system, as more than a half-million dollars worth of contracts are up for final consideration next week.
Wheeling City Council members will hear final readings on ordinances introduced last week for two different major purchases to be charged to the city's water distribution fund. They're expected to vote to approve both ordinances during the next regular meeting of Wheeling City Council on Tuesday evening.
One piece of legislation continues the city water department's ongoing effort to install modern water meters with remote reading capabilities. Thousands of municipal water customers have already had new smart water meters installed, and there are a few thousand more to go to upgrade the entire system.
"This is the fourth year we have purchased radio read meters for the water department," Russell Jebbia, the city's director of Public Works, said. "These meters have a transmitter that sends an actual reading to a receiver in the water department's truck. This allows meters to be read on a monthly basis so residents are being billed from an actual reading rather than an estimate."
The ordinance slated for final approval on Tuesday authorizes Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron to spend $265,150 with Metron Farnier of Boulder, Colorado, for smart water meters and systems.
"Nearly 7,000 radio-read meters have been installed, and we have 12,000 customers," Jebbia said.
Another piece of legislation slated for final approval next week is an ordinance authorizing the city manager to spend $233,942 with O'Brien's Companies of Wheeling for a 6-inch valve replacement project for a water line on Marshall Avenue in Wheeling's Elm Grove neighborhood.
The bid by O'Brien's Companies for work on the valve replacement project was deemed to be the lowest and best bid among several others that were received by the city. By comparison, other bids from area companies were $278,617 from James White Construction, $381,096 from Savage Construction, $419,180 from Alex Paris Contracting and $435,010 from Mountain Haus Properties.
City council is also scheduled to hear a final reading on an ordinance authorizing the purchase of a new Dodge pickup truck for the Water Pollution Control Division of the Public Works Department in the amount of $22,767.
Unless otherwise noted prior to the next regular meeting, Wheeling City Council is expected to meet in person in council chambers at the City-County Building on Chapline Street downtown. City Council returned to in-person meetings last week, and city offices reopened to the public this week as vaccines continue to be distributed and local COVID-19 cases continue to trend downward.
Tuesday's council meeting is expected to begin at 5:30 p.m.