Three engineering firms were asked to provide bids on a grinder pump sewer design so costs could be estimated. Bids were due by the end of 1996. One firm provided a reasonable bid (although higher than expected); one provided a bid considered unrealistically high; and one did not provide a bid, but is expected to shortly. Two or three other firms have been contacted and the manufacturer of the pumps has offered to bid on installing the system if the bids remain too high.
Based on the bids being higher than expected, the County is "value engineering" the original proposal to determine where decreases in cost can be obtained. An example of this is the approach to handling extended power outages. These occur rarely, but could result in sewage backing up into houses if the pump well is not emptied. The intent is to provide a truck which can supply power to the pump at each house long enough to empty the well. It would ease the effort if an electrical plug were installed in a very accessible place for these emergencies, rather than underground as is normally done. However, it was discovered that adding the easily accessible plug was more costly than expected, so a return to the standard design is under consideration.
Because of the higher than expected costs, the need to value engineer, and the delayed response of one of the firms, no date has been set to move forward with neighborhood information meetings.