Dickinson seeks additional funds for wastewater treatment facility

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Possible changes to the under-construction wastewater treatment facility moved the Dickinson City Commission to increase the amount it will ask for from the State Revolving Loan Fund.

As engineering firm Apex researched the construction of a wastewater treatment facility, it realized the city’s need for pumping stations would increase because of its partnership with South Heart, who will also utilize the treatment plan. The original plans call for two pumping stations, but Apex believes creating a higher-capacity facility, Vice President Mike Berg said during the governing body’s Monday meeting at City Hall.

“The decision on what to do with that pump station doesn’t need to be made now, but it has some implications for the loan applications for the treatment facility,” he said.

The cost would go from a $39.2 million project to a $48.4 million project, Berg said.

Even though the city will ask for more money, it does not mean that all the funds will be used, and there are no penalties if it does not use all the funds nor if it is paid back early, he said.

“It’s very difficult to get more money later,” Apex Environmental Engineer Karla Olson said. “So you want to get as much as you possibly can to start with on this loan application.”

Because of the uncertainty of other available funds, City Commission President Dennis Johnson suggested the Commission approve the motion to allow himself and City Administrator Shawn Kessel to submit the application by the Oct. 1 deadline as they see fit based on Apex’s findings.

“I view this more as construction financing right now,” Johnson said. “It can be our permanent financing, but I would sure hope that we’re going to have a lot more than $7.9 million in oil impact funds to apply against this project. … You can’t really forecast how much more money that (the Legislature) will make available to the City of Dickinson.”

The price tag is not increasing on the wastewater treatment facility itself, he said.

The creation of a second pump or the construction of a larger pump would have a similar effect, Berg said. Either design would have 100 percent redundancy in case of a malfunction. If the city chooses two pumps, they would not be connected to back each other up. The back-ups would be designed in the pumps themselves.

“It’s certainly always better to minimize the number of stations you have,” City Engineer Shawn Soehren said. “I think that this point we’re seeing that the need is there. We’re not making the decision that we’re going that direction but we would like to get the place holder in with the State Revolving Loan Fund.”