(Lander, WY) – Public works director Lance Hopkin offered an overview of ongoing and upcoming local infrastructure projects during a recent Lander City Council work session.
The bulk of the presentation focused on the city’s new 4-million-gallon water tank and pumping station, which will replace three tanks that were “failing,” Hopkin said.
The old tanks are deteriorating, he explained, with “everything from exposed rebar (to) strands that are busting.”
“We were seeing that infiltration into the concrete – the cracking, the rusting – and then those strands busting and putting more pressure on the next piece,” Hopkin said. “We were kind of worried about that chain reaction failure.”
The situation prompted city staff to request emergency funding from the Wyoming Water Development Commission, which contributed almost $7 million to the new water tank project, Hopkin said.
The city also received $3.5 million Abandoned Mine Lands funding, according to his presentation.
“It’s pretty awesome, on a project this big, that we’re sitting on $10.5 million worth of grants,” Hopkin said. “We’re going to be really close (to) breaking even on this project.”
The entire project will cost an estimated $9.5 million to construct, Hopkin said, plus engineering fees and other associated expenses.
Tank construction
The new water tank and pumping station will add 1 million gallons of capacity to the municipal system and provide “backup” in case of emergencies, Hopkin said.
For example, if “something were to happen in the hospital zone,” Hopkin said the new automated pumping station “should automatically close valves, boost pressure (and) keep that area in service.”
“We should always be serving a consistent pressure,” Hopkin said.
He showed the council a series of photos of the work that’s been done on the new tank so far, beginning with the demolition of the old infrastructure at the Mortimore Lane location.
Next, Hopkin said, the crew prepared a “flat pad” for construction, importing “structural fill” to ensure that the ground under the new tank would be “solid.”
Once the ground was ready, Hopkin said workers began placing rebar and waterproofing material at the site in preparation for “the concrete pour.”
Once the concrete was in place, it was flooded for curing while crews began setting up their scaffolding, Hopkin said.
As the scaffolding went up, he said the workers “formed out every piece they were going to put (on the) tank” so everything was ready to be put in place once the “giant” crane arrived at the site.
“That crane came in three different trucks,” Hopkin said. “(It was) pretty amazing.”
He noted that, once the tank is supporting its own weight, the scaffolding inside will be removed “one piece at a time” and passed through a small hole on the side of the structure.
“That’s going to be a fun day,” Hopkin said.
After that, the crew will reinforce the outside of the tank, shock treat it, and paint it to “finish it all up,” he said.
Once the tank completed, Hopkin said the workers will focus on finishing the new pumping station, which is “really important as well.”
The city is still waiting for a piece of equipment for the pumping station that was supposed to be delivered at “the beginning of the summer” but now isn’t expected to arrive until “mid-August,” he added.
“That’s still controlling a lot of this actual project schedule,” Hopkin said.
Other projects
Another water project – the Lander Wells and Transmission Pipeline Project – is estimated to cost $4 million, and the city is trying to secure a 67 percent grant from the Wyoming Water Development Commission to help cover the cost, Hopkin said.
The project is currently in the bidding phase, with construction anticipated in 2025, according to his presentation.
The work includes the construction of a new chlorination building that will be able to send treated water directly into the city’s storage tank “in case of an emergency,” Hopkin said.
“It is that emergency backup,” he said. “This emergency supply is so important (to) keep the town going if something were to happen to the water.”
The Lander Sidewalk Improvements Project – Phase 1 – is intended to “improve accessibility and safety around Gannett Peak Elementary School,” according to Hopkin’s presentation.
He noted that there are “traffic issues” in the area, which features “a lot of places” that “don’t have sidewalks” and that aren’t “friendly” for people with disabilities.
Specifically, he said, the project will focus on Sweetwater and Seventh streets as well as the entrance to the school.
“That could really be a lifesaver in the future,” Hopkin said. “We haven’t had an accident there, but increasing (safety in) that area is going to be a huge component of improving safety to the school.”
The city plans to re-bid the project this fall, Hopkin said, noting that a previous bid request only received one response.
“(We’ll) do another mandatory pre-bid and see if we get more interest” Hopkin said, adding, “This is next year’s construction anyway.”
The city is “almost ready to finish our agreement and contract” for the Lincoln Street Improvements Project, Hopkin continued, with the potential for some “repair work” to begin this year.
“The majority of construction (is) going to happen next year,” he said.
The $7.2 million project will replace “failing” infrastructure – including water, sewer, storm, ADA, and pavement – along about nine blocks of Lincoln Street, according to Hopkin’s presentation.
“It’s not complete replacement,” he said. “We left everything (we) could in order to … lower the overall project cost.”
The city received American Rescue Plan Act funding to help support the Lincoln Street improvements, he said, and “there may be additional funding” available in the future to “take off some of that local burden.”
He finished his presentation by displaying a list of upcoming projects the city plans to complete using a $44 million loan from the State Loan and Investments Board, including:
-Buena Vista
-Cascade and South Sixth Street
-sewer lagoon improvements
-Fremont Street sewer
-Fifth Street
-Baldwin Creek
-McFarlane Drive
-First Street
-Dillon Vista subdivision
Hopkin said he’s “not sure” the loan will cover all of the projects listed, but “we’ll keep working on it.”
“What we’re talking about is potentially taking these projects into a more appetizing contract for a larger contractor to come in and commit to,” he said. “Rather than nine different engineers, nine different contractors, and trying to manage all that, you work with one overall contractor who is going to manage and operate and then work on these projects over five years. … That process might be a better option.”
For more information, call the City of Lander at 332-2870.