The Avalon Water and Sewer Service Corporation met Thursday evening for their regular monthly meeting to hear KSA Engineering’s presentation on their concept for increasing Avalon’s sewer plant capacity.

Scott Hoelzle (director for KSA) started his presentation by telling a little bit about the company. KSA Engineering started business in 1978 and has about one hundred and fifteen regional employees. They usually work with municipalities rather than private companies. Hoelzle said, “Our approach to this project is to work together to please everyone.”

He went on to say that he met with John Goodwyn (vice president of Avalon Water Corp) and Dean Carroll (consultant) to take a look at the plant. They also discussed some of the top issues such as: Avalon has a small plant, economy is an issue and cost is a big factor.

Hoelzle recommended that they use tried and true techniques and to renovate the existing racetrack circular basin oxidation ditch. He said the pump is currently pumping twenty five thousand gallons a day and suggests that they increase that to forty thousand gallons a day still utilizing the existing basin.

He said he wants to get an adequate simple low cost plant. “We have many options and some that could save you money. Like we could get a steel tank instead of a concrete tank because the concrete tank is more expensive and the steel tank will last if drained and painted periodically. Our goal is to keep the cost down.”

When asked for a ball park cost on a new plant Hoelzle said, “To get forty thousand gallons a day, including engineering and construction the high end would be approximately six hundred thousand to six hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The low end using steel tanks and just taking care of the ‘bare bone’ necessities and utilizing the staff when they could, could go as low as three hundred to three hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”

Dean Carroll gave an update on what they have been doing on the sewer. Carroll said, “We got the two new pumps in today and will be installing those this coming week.”

Carroll also said that the cut off date for the letter of intent for the state was January 12th. He said once they hire a company for the plant, the staff there could write the letter but it did need to be completed and mailed by January 12th. He asked to have another meeting January 5th and the board was in agreement.

Regular business such as approval of November 10,2011 and December 1, 2011 special meetings minutes were approved along with the approval of the financial report.

Next meeting will be Thursday, January 5th.