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D. <br />SEWER FUND CAPITAL OUTLAY REQUESTS <br />1. Replacement of 2 metal canister grinder pump stations on West Femdale Road. These were <br />installed in 1984 and because they are below the water table they have rusted out and are <br />e.xperiencing operational problems. Two similar lift stations in the area were budgeted for <br />replacement in 1999. The estimated cost of the replacements is $90,000.00. <br />2. Radio path analysis for a potential electronic monitoring system for the City's lift stations <br />and water plants. The City now has 44 lift stations and 2 water plants. These need to be <br />monitored to ensure they are working properly. <br />Currently, the City's lift stations have alarms that sound when the pumps are not working <br />properly. When the neighbors hear the alarms, they call to notify the City of the problem. <br />In recent years, as the City has replaced a number of its larger lift stations, the replacement <br />has included the installation of an automatic dialing alarm system that calls the on-call <br />maintenance person. These automatic dialing alarms are expensive over the long-term <br />because of the telephone charges. <br />An automatic monitoring and communication system which transmits information regarding <br />the operation of the lift stations and water plants to a central location has a number of <br />benefits. It would not rely on the neighbors to notify the City regarding a lift station <br />malfunction. It would also provide information to a central location that would enable the <br />on-call maintenance person to identify the type of problem prior to going to the lift station. <br />If the City is to expand the number of lift stations that have the capability of sending an <br />alarm to a central location, the telephone charges can be avoided by using a radio based <br />system. The first step in reviewing the feasibility of a radio based system is to conduct a <br />radio path analysis to determine whether a radio signal can reach all of the City's lift stations. <br />The cost of a radio path analysis is estimated at $5,000.00. <br />Future Capital Expenditure Needs <br />The City currently has a jet rodding machine that is used for unplugging and cleaning sewers. This <br />machine is 25 years old. It is becoming more difficult to find repU cement parts as repturs are <br />needed. The jet rodding truck does not have the capability of vacuuming the debris cleaned from <br />the sewer lines. It pushes the debris to a manhole where a two-person crew is needed to enter the <br />manhole to remove the dd)ris. It is recommended that the City plan to replace the jet rodding truck <br />with a jet rodding and vacuum truck. The cost of the replaceiv-cnt is estimated at $250,000.00. The <br />new tnick would enable sewers to be cleaned by one maintenance person versus two. The vacuum <br />capability also enables the truck to be used to clean catch basins, storm sewers and culverts. The <br />new machine would enable an improved program of cleaning catch basins and storm sewers to catch <br />the silt and other debris before it flows into the City's streams and lakes.