City of Gardner Utility Advisory Commission 10/01/2026

The City of Gardner Utility Advisory Commission met October 1, 2026. The commission approved recommendations to the City Council to authorize a contract with SEAL Engineering Services for SCADA and automation integration at Substation 4, not to exceed $126,985.85; award the Hillsdale Water Treatment Plant roof replacement to Cornerstone Construction Solutions for $76,500; and amend the Burns & McDonnell engineering agreement by $7,200 for Clearwell rehabilitation bid documents and specifications. The Clearwell’s future repair work will be competitively bid; staff cited an estimate of about $837,000 for interior work and said the project is included in the capital improvement plan.

Staff also reported that the Unit 1 generator overhaul has uncovered additional repairs, including approximately $2.6 million for rotor and stator rewinds and roughly $300,000 for turbine and rotor work, bringing the overall project estimate to about $7.9 million versus an original project amount of about $5.5 million. This was presented as an update, not a commission vote; additional work was being brought to the City Council for approval. Staff likewise reported approximately $37,342 in unplanned transformer tap-changer contact repairs requiring Council approval. The commission discussed a possible seasonal electric rate structure but took no action on it.