Final walk through as Chinook water treatment upgrade nears completion
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Steve Edwards
The final inspection tour of the upgrade at the Chinook Water Treatment took place last week. (l-r) Jeff Ashley, chief engineer, Russ Kraenzel, superintendent for the contractor, Brian Beck, construction project manager and Chinook Mayor Keith Hanson, inspect a control panel in the raw water pump house where raw water from the Milk River first enters for processing.
Chinook's water treatment plant upgrade is nearing completion. Construction on the $6.7 million project began in the early spring of last year. Last week representatives from the engineering firm that did the design work, the company that did the construction, USDA officials, a Bear Paw Development grant writer and manager and Chinook officials and water treatment plant employees made the tour to check the status of the remaining punch list. A crew was still putting up final fencing while the tour was being conducted.
Steve Edwards
This view from the roof of the new sedimentation basin at the water treatment plant, shows part of the new construction at the plant. Looking east, the exit driveway from the bulk water station is visible. Workmen were in the process of completing security fencing around the new construction.
Jeff Ashley, Senior Water Engineer for Morrison Maierle, explained before the tour that most items were completed. Ashley said WesTech, one of the main subcontractors would be visiting one more time to finish work that couldn't be scheduled prior to the tour. WesTech provided most of the pumps and processing equipment as well as coordinated the computerization of the new plant equipment. Ashley said he would be returning after their work to be certain it was completed.
Officials from USDA's Rural Development were checking completion in order to process the final payment from the grant and loan to the city for much of the construction. A state grant was also critical to funding the work.
The work was substantially completed, according to Russ Krantzel with Jackson Construction Group, on April 1. Actual construction began in March of last year after an extensive testing and design period for the project. Bear Paw Development's Michele Turville, who was also on the final tour, was instrumental in securing various funding sources for the project.
Final paving of the parking lot and access road to the bulk water station was completed two weeks ago. Most of the work now going on was to complete the exterior landscaping and security fencing.
