Fayetteville's wastewater service to remain high in quality, officials say

NWA Democrat-Gazette/STACY RYBURN Tom Meinhart (left) and Steve Carpenter with Jacobs speak Tuesday to the Fayetteville City Council. Jacobs, formerly CH2M, manages the city's wastewater facilities.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/STACY RYBURN Tom Meinhart (left) and Steve Carpenter with Jacobs speak Tuesday to the Fayetteville City Council. Jacobs, formerly CH2M, manages the city's wastewater facilities.

FAYETTEVILLE -- The name of the company that manages the city's wastewater treatment facilities has changed, but the quality of service will remain the same, the City Council was told Tuesday.

Council members heard from representatives of global professional services company Jacobs during a meeting. In December, Jacobs bought engineering firm CH2M, which since 1987 has provided the city's wastewater treatment services.

Water, Sewer and Solid Waste Committee

The committee consisting of half the City Council also met Tuesday and recommended the following items:

• Awarding Goodwin & Goodwin a $292,955 contract to install a 4,240-foot, 8-inch-in-diameter water main along Dinsmore Trail.

• Awarding Insituform a $248,501 contract for trenchless sanitary sewer rehabilitation services.

All items will go to the full City Council for final approval.

Source: Staff report

The city has two wastewater plants -- the Paul R. Noland facility at 1400 N. Fox Hunter Road and the West Side facility at 15 S. Broyles Ave. The $8 million yearly contract between the city and CH2M, now Jacobs, will be subject to a five-year renewal next year.

Utilities Director Tim Nyander said he expects the working relationship to stay strong. City officials will see the same faces they did at CH2M. Jacobs will continue to manage biosolid treatment, maintain the Woolsey Wet Prairie Sanctuary and accept liability in making sure the wastewater plants follow state and federal regulations, Nyander said.

"It's been seamless," he said.

The public-private partnership between the city and CH2M has garnered numerous awards and national recognition. The Fayetteville CH2M team last year earned the 10-year safety award from the Arkansas Department of Labor and Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission. In 2011, the National Council of Public-Private Partnerships recognized the city and CH2M with its service award for sustainability. A first-of-its-kind ozone disinfection system was unveiled at the Noland plant last year.

The ownership structure has changed with the acquisition, but combining the companies will benefit the city, said Steve Carpenter, regional manager with Jacobs. The Fayetteville team now has access to a global network of 74,000 experts in engineering, architecture, transportation, construction, aviation and scientific consulting, he said.

"If you have a question, I bet we can find someone who has the answer," Carpenter said.

Chief of Staff Don Marr said CH2M also was known as OMI before its latest name change. Jacobs worked on the flyover connecting College Avenue to Interstate 49 that opened in 2014, Marr said.

Tom Meinhart, vice president of operations for Jacobs, said the two companies matched in their models of building upon long-term relationships.

"If these gentleman and their predecessors weren't delivering, we wouldn't be sitting here today," he said.

NW News on 03/28/2018

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