Water towers to see upgrades

By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS

The San Benito Commissioners unanimously approved $1.468 million for significant enhancements to two water towers in the city, which is less than had been budgeted. Work is to begin next month.

After the City of San Benito solicited bids from six companies, the Freddy Fender Tower (one million-gallon elevated reservoir) and the Oscar Williams Road Tower (850,000-gallon elevated reservoir) will receive cleaning, repair, and painting.

Tanksco, Inc. turned in the lowest bid for approximately $1,468,280, KLM engineer Benjamin Feldman emailed San Benito City Manager Fred Sandoval two weeks before the commissioners meeting.

Some bids came in as high as $3.2 million and $2.9 million.

The KLM engineer’s estimate was $2.3 million total, with the Fender Tower at $900,000 and the Williams Tower at $1.4 million.

Feldman told Sandoval Tanksco provided documentation that meets or exceeds the specified qualifications requirements. He said Tanksco is a newer company that has been the general contractor on several projects with Minnesota-based KLM the past two years.

“Performing the work of both towers in a single package is the most cost-effective approach to the current rehabilitation needs,” Feldman said.

The Freddy Fender Tower will cost $820,280, and the Oscar Williams Road Tower $648,000, according to the Tanksco bid, which was open via a mid-afternoon webcast on December 4.

Commissioners viewed various images of each tower showing major deterioration on and around the roof, wet access manway, balcony, shell ladder, vent, and strobe lights.

“The towers are in much need or repair, lots of years of deferred maintenance,” City Manager Fred Sandoval said. “Any metal parts that need to be replaced or repaired will be done.”

This was a very disconcerting topic for several years because of costs, Mayor Ricardo Guerra remembers.

During the meeting, he said the proposed tower costs for cleaning and repair were $2 million each. One recommendation was to demolish the Williams Road Tower entirely, he said.

“Thank God we held off and now it’s going to be refurbished,” Mayor Guerra said while also commending Sandoval. “You told us to hold off, we did, we trusted you and now the cost is below (budget).”