Allegany County Public Works

Allegany County to Upgrade Georges Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant

Allegany County Government is undertaking an important, far-reaching project to improve the Georges Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (GCWWTP, 25018 Old Reynolds Road, Westernport, MD). The Department of Public Works led by Director W. Stephen Young and Deputy Director Paul F. Kahl and its Utilities Division, managed by Mark W. Yoder, are spearheading this important project. All are Professional Engineers.

MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT

The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has required Allegany County Government to correct deficiencies in the Georges Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. Specifically, Allegany County entered into a Consent Order with the Maryland Department of the Environment to correct the permit violations and to upgrade the plant. MDE also enacted more restrictive treatment requirements to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from the wastewater: Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) and Enhanced Nutrient Removal (ENR)This plant and the associated collection system were constructed in the 1980’s. Over the years, technology has improved and regulations have increased. In recent years the plant has experienced high flows from inflow/infiltration. Overall, the plant’s performance is now poor.

COMPLEX ENGINEERING PROJECT

The Allegany County Department of Public Works and Stearns and Wheler, an engineering firm from Bowie, Maryland, began the design process for the plant upgrade in 2004. The project is complex and the design process was challenging. Since that time, different treatment alternatives were evaluated, associated bid documents were developed, and funding options were reviewed with MDE on numerous occasions.

FUNDING SOURCES

The funding, like the project itself, is complicated. The total project will cost $28.4M. The low construction bid was $24.4M. In addition to construction costs, there are engineering, legal, and administrative costs. The State of Maryland is paying for over two-thirds of the total cost; specifically, the State is providing $19.4M (68%) of the $28.4M.

The funding sources of the Georges Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade are:

ENR Requirement: 100% State of Maryland grant (i.e., a gift, grants are not repaid). These grant funds are provided by the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund (i.e., flush tax).

BNR Requirement: 50% State of Maryland grant and 50% local users. The Maryland Department of the Environment gave Allegany County Government a 1% 20 year loan for $8.9M. This loan will be repaid by the local users of the Georges Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant.

LOCAL USERS

Loan Repayment: the average annual cost to repay this loan is $530 for every local user (i.e., household). NOTE: This is based on current sewer rates.

This debt service will appear on the local user’s annual property/real estate tax bill (NOT on the quarterly sewer bill) as an ad valorem.

The major portion of the loan payment will not be on the tax bills until July, 2010.

The local user’s quarterly sewer bill will not be impacted by this loan. The quarterly sewer fee is the same everywhere in Allegany County. NOTE: There is an annual adjustment based on the actual cost of operation.

ALTERNATIVE RE-EVALUATED

After the nearly $25 million dollar construction bid was received for the Georges Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, Allegany County reevaluated the option of pumping flow to another plant, Upper Potomac River Commission (UPRC), near Westernport. The Allegany County Commissioners and the Allegany County Department of Public Works staff had multiple discussions with representatives from the Maryland Department of the Environment, the Upper Potomac River Commission, and Stearns & Wheler about this alternative. After this review, the Department of Public Works staff advised and the Allegany County Commissioners agreed to proceed with the Georges Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade.

MINIMAL-NO SAVINGS AND SIGNIFICANT RISK

The UPRC alternative offered minimal or no savings to local users; the local users would pay the same ad valorem for both alternatives. The amount of the project to be funded by loans to Allegany County and paid by local users was similar for both alternatives. The UPRC alternative had a lower total project cost but significantly lower grants as well. Therefore, the cost to local users was nearly equal. The UPRC alternative had significant risk. The UPRC plant was not designed for either BNR or ENR; although some nitrogen and phosphorus removal would be achieved under the UPRC alternative, the project, once completed, could fail to meet Maryland Department of the Environment’s BNR-ENR requirements.

CONTRACT AND TIMEFRAME

Allegany County Government had a competitive bidding process and awarded the contract to Galway Bay Corporation, Mount Braddock, PA. The Georges Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade construction will begin this spring and is expected to take two years.

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NOTE: Forbes Media, www.investopedia.com, presents information on ad valorem, click to dictionary on the homepage.

YODER SPEAKS AT STATEWIDE CONFERENCE

Mark W. Yoder, a Professional Engineer who leads the Utilities Division of Allegany County’s Department of Public Works, was invited to be a featured speaker at The Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) Summer Conference. This annual event was held last week (August 13-16) at the Roland Powell Convention Center in Ocean City, Maryland. The conference theme was “Promoting County Government through Technology.” Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley was the keynote speaker at the conference. Yoder’s special presentation focused on aging infrastructure and water quality. As the Utilities Division Chief, Yoder is responsible for both public water and wastewater systems throughout Allegany County. This translates into 175 miles of water distribution systems and 175 miles of wastewater collection and six treatment plants. Yoder became associated with Allegany County Government in 2004. He earned both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degree in civil engineering (B.S.C.E. and M.S.C.E., respectively) from West Virginia University and is a Professional Engineer. A native of Cumberland, Yoder graduated from Fort Hill High School.

Yoder has 20+ years of experience in water and wastewater treatment projects. This experience includes the public, the engineering, and the construction sides. After earning his graduate degree, Yoder was employed by CH2M Hill, an international engineering firm, in Reston, Virginia. Here, for the next 12 years, he was a project engineer and a project manager. Yoder returned to Western Maryland to become Vice- President of a family-owned mechanical contracting business, Walter N. Yoder & Sons, Inc. He worked in this capacity for five years before joining Allegany County Government’s Department of Public Works. Yoder’s professional activities include the County Engineers Association of Maryland, the American Water Works Association – Chesapeake Section, and the Water Environment Association. Now a resident of Lakewood, Yoder is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Mineral County (West Virginia) Development Authority.

EFFECTIVE, EFFICIENT GOVERNMENT
MACo is a well-recognized and well-respected organization. The goal of MACo is to provide county elected and appointed officials and other participants with a clearer perspective on the challenges facing counties and to provide strategies for addressing these challenges. More effective and more efficient county government is emphasized. In addition, MACo represents the interests of county government before the State and Federal governments. Allegany County Government officials joined their local government counterparts from throughout the State of Maryland at the MACo Summer Conference.

Governor O’Malley Supports the Environment
Georges Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Project Secures $9,558,000

With the financial support of the State of Maryland, Allegany County Government is able to undertake an important, far-reaching project to improve the Georges Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant (25018 Old Reynolds Road, Westernport, MD). Read More

Allegany County Public Works Constructs New Garage
Flintstone Facility Serves Eastern Allegany County

The Allegany County Commissioners, James J. Stakem, Robert M. Hutcheson, and Dale R. Lewis, are pleased to announce that Allegany County Government has opened a new County Roads garage facility near Flintstone. According to Allegany County Director of Public Works W. Stephen Young, this garage serves the eastern section of Allegany County. It is ideally located at 28719 Headquarters Road NE (I 68 Exit #64 – MV Smith Road) and has replaced the dated, older facility located in Little Orleans. The new garage facility is under the management of Kenny Gilpin, District Supervisor in the Roads Division.

Public Works Personnel Get High Praise
Preliminary Discussions to Physical Reality
Allegany County’s Department of Public Works was solely responsible for this new facility. It was designed by W. Adam Patterson, P.E., of the Engineering Division and constructed by the County Roads Division and the County Maintenance Division under the direction of Jim Lashley and Evan Bone, respectively. Young highlighted the significant contributions of the employees in these divisions and credited them with the overall high caliber of the finished construction project. He emphasized: “The talented workers in the Roads and Maintenance Divisions did a top-rate job. Every person on this team should take great pride in this construction project. This was a job well done.” According to Young, substantial cost savings measures were also realized by this approach.

Strategic Geographic Distribution for Efficiency
The Department of Public Works has four garages in Allegany County. Public Works uses these garages to house equipment and materials needed throughout the different seasons of the year - snow removal in the winter and roadside vegetation maintenance in the summer. These garages are located to efficiently and effectively serve all sections of Allegany County:

Garage 1, Central District – Cumberland
Garage 2, North East District – Flintstone
Garage 3, South East District – Oldtown
Garage 4, Western District – Frostburg.

FY ’10 Water and Sewer Rates

On April 29, 2009, the Sanitary Commission met with the County staff to discuss the Utilities Division’s Budget and proposed water and sewer rates for FY ’10. At this public meeting the Allegany County Sanitary Commission voted to pass a Resolution setting forth recommended water and sewer rates for FY ’10. Read More