06/19/2026
The Somerset WPCF Upgrades Phasing Cost Comparison Summary is 15 pages.
The commissioners have decided amongst themselves that they aren’t going over $75 million. They ordered this study to help them decide if they should borrow it all at once, or split it in two loans. They used to be in favor, or they used to talk favorably about the phased approach, even though they always knew it would cost more doing it that way!!!
Here are the first six pages of the “memorandum/memo”. It is titled, Somerset WPCF Upgrades: Updated Single Project Upgrade Scope Summary.
[9:27-10:59 AM Fri Jun 19, 2026]
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Memorandum Date: 5/1/2026
Project No.: 21944/A.60/WWMA
To: Chris Wickman, Steve Cadorette, Town of Somerset
From: Will Edgerton
Subject: Somerset WPCF Upgrades: Updated Single Project Upgrade Scope
Summary
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Background
A meeting was held between Wright-Pierce (WP) and the Town of Somerset (Town) on Friday, February 13th to review the status of the WPCF Upgrades project phasing plan development and project cost estimates associated with the overall Task 6 Report. It was discussed at this meeting that the total project costs for a multi-phased approach implementing critical priority upgrades are estimated to exceed the $75M budget previously established. The takeaway from the meeting was that the Town might consider implementing the improvements in a single large comprehensive upgrade rather than multiple phases, if the total project cost was estimated to be at or below the $75M budget. However, the Water and Sewer Board would still need to review and determine whether a single, larger increase in the sewer user rates associated with a single large project would be feasible.
As a next step, WP was tasked with developing an updated project cost estimate for a single comprehensive upgrade project encompassing the critical priority upgrades, to estimate whether the improvements could be completed in the established $75M project budget. This updated single comprehensive upgrade project scope and cost estimate was developed and provided to the Town on March 18th for review and comment and was then discussed at a follow up meeting with the Town on March 25th. The single comprehensive upgrade project, which consists of a value-engineered scope of improvements to attempt to meet the $75M total project budget, was estimated to carry a total project cost of $76.3 M.
Upon further internal discussions by the Town at recent Water and Sewer Board meetings, the board requested that WP provide a summary of the estimated cost savings associated with the single-phase project for their review to further justify this approach.
This memorandum is intended to accompany the total project cost estimate breakdowns dated Marth 18th and May 1st, 2026, and summarizes the scope of improvements included in the single and two-phase project implementation alternatives, and provides a comparison of the estimated construction, engineering, contingency, and total project cost differences between the two implementation alternatives.
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Memo: Somerset WPCF Upgrades: Updated Single Project Upgrade Scope Summary
Revised Single Comprehensive Upgrade Scope of Improvements Summary
The following modified scope of improvements are included in the latest single phase total project cost estimate, which is estimated at approximately $76.3 M. We have assumed the project would begin construction by June 30, 2028, and be completed by the end of December 2030.
Refer to the attached single phase project construction cost estimates dated March 18th, 2026, for a detailed breakdown of the costs and assumptions.
• Total Nitrogen Removal Upgrades with new Blower Building
o Maintain selected nutrient removal process (4-stage Bardenpho process)
o Provide alternative aeration tank layout (eliminates internal tank modifications and equipment requirements). However, it requires the conversion of all four existing square flow equalization tanks to aeration tanks to support the proposed BNR process.
• Provide a new Blower Building including new aeration blowers, main electrical switchgear and exterior generator. Solids Handling Upgrades
o Maintain dewatering operations in the existing Sludge Handling Building, along with Administration spaces (hence, no new Solids Handling Building and minimal upgrades to Administration portion of that building).
o Replacement of thickening, dewatering (screw press), sludge pumping, mixing, and chemical feed systems within the existing Sludge Handling Building.
o Convert the Standby/Equalization wet wells to additional sludge storage tanks.
o Limited building finish, ventilation, odor control, electrical, and controls upgrades associated with the dewatering spaces of the existing Sludge Handling Building. Assumed structural improvements to support new dewatering equipment.
• Electrical Service, Distribution, and Emergency Power Upgrades.
• SCADA System Upgrades
• Headworks Upgrades
o Maintain screening and grit removal processes at the existing Preliminary Treatment Building (hence, no new Headworks Building).
o Replace influent screens with 3/8” bar spacing, multi-rake mechanical bar screens, grinder/washer/compactors, replace grit collector and classifier equipment in-kind, and replace Parshall flumes/primary influent sampler in-kind.
o Limited building finish, structural, ventilation, odor control, electrical, and instrumentation upgrades to the existing Preliminary Treatment Building.
• Influent Pumping Upgrades
o Construct new influent pump station, utilizing submersible non-clog centrifugal pump technology, adjacent to existing Screw Lift Pump Station and construct new discharge channel connecting to existing Preliminary Treatment Building.
• Operations Building
o Replacement of sludge pumping equipment in the basement pump room.
o Limited locker room, laboratory, building finish, ventilation, plumbing, electrical, and instrumentation upgrades within the first floor of the building.
• Secondary Clarifiers
o Replacement of two complete clarifier mechanisms and associated accessories.
o Limited tank structural surface and/or accessory repairs
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Memo: Somerset WPCF Upgrades: Updated Single Project Upgrade Scope Summary
Improvements to the following systems are NOT included in the latest project cost estimate:
• Disinfection Upgrades
• Primary Clarifier Upgrades
• Administration / Office Space Upgrades
• Plant Water System Upgrades
Revised Multi-Phase Comprehensive Upgrades Scope of Improvements Summary
For comparison, the modified scope of improvements has been broken out into two separate phase projects. The Phase I total project cost is estimated at approximately $61 M, and the Phase II total project cost is estimated at approximately $23.7 M, for a combined total project cost of approximately $84.7 M. We assumed Phase 1 would begin construction by June 30, 2028, and be completed by the end of December 2030. We assumed the design of Phase 2 would occur during construction of Phase 1 and as such, begin construction by June 30, 2031, and complete by June 2033.
Refer to the attached two-phase project construction cost estimates dated May 1st, 2026, for a detailed breakdown of the costs and assumptions.
Phase I Upgrades:
• Total Nitrogen Removal Upgrades with new Blower Building
o Maintain selected nutrient removal process (4-stage Bardenpho process)
o Provide alternative aeration tank layout (eliminates internal tank modifications and equipment requirements). However, it requires the conversion of all four existing square flow equalization tanks to aeration tanks to support the proposed BNR process.
o Provide a new Blower Building including new aeration blowers, main electrical switchgear and exterior generator.
• Solids Handling Upgrades
o Maintain dewatering operations in the existing Sludge Handling Building, along with Administration spaces (hence, no new Solids Handling Building and minimal upgrades to Administration portion of that building).
o Replacement of thickening, dewatering (screw press), sludge pumping, mixing, and chemical feed systems within the Sludge Handling Building.
o Convert the Standby/Equalization wet wells to additional sludge storage tanks.
o Limited building finish, ventilation, odor control, electrical, and controls upgrades associated with the dewatering spaces of the Sludge Handling Building. Assumed structural improvements to support new dewatering equipment.
• Influent Pumping Upgrades
o Construct new influent lift station, utilizing submersible non-clog centrifugal pump technology, adjacent to existing Screw Lift Pump Station and construct new discharge channel connecting to existing Preliminary Treatment Building.
• Electrical Service, Distribution, and Emergency Power Upgrades.
• SCADA System Upgrades
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Memo: Somerset WPCF Upgrades: Updated Single Project Upgrade Scope Summary
Phase II Upgrades:
• Headworks Upgrades
o Maintain screening and grit removal processes at the existing Preliminary Treatment Building (hence, no new Headworks Building)
o Replace influent screens with 3/8” bar spacing, multi-rake mechanical bar screens, grinder/washer/compactors, replace grit collector and classifier equipment in-kind, and replace Parshall flumes/primary influent sampler in-kind.
o Limited building finish, structural, ventilation, odor control, electrical, and instrumentation upgrades to the existing Preliminary Treatment Building.
• Operations Building
o Replacement of sludge pumping equipment in the basement pump room.
o Limited locker room, laboratory, building finish, ventilation, plumbing, electrical, and instrumentation upgrades within the first floor of the building.
• Secondary Clarifiers
o Replacement of two complete clarifier mechanisms and associated accessories.
o Limited tank structural surface and/or accessory repairs.
Improvements to the following systems are NOT included in the latest project cost estimate:
• Disinfection Upgrades
• Primary Clarifier Upgrades
• Administration / Office Space Upgrades
• Plant Water System Upgrades
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Memo: Somerset WPCF Upgrades: Updated Single Project Upgrade Scope Summary
Project Implementation Cost Comparison Summary
The following section provides a comparison of the construction and total project costs between the single and two-phase project implementation approaches. For the two-phase implementation, the Phase I total project cost is estimated at approximately $61 M, and the Phase II total project cost is estimated at approximately $23.7 M, for a combined total project cost of approximately $84.7 M. For the single-phase implementation, the total project cost is estimated at approximately $76.3 M. This results in cost savings of approximately $8.4 M.
The factors contributing to the cost differences between the single and two-phase project implementation are summarized below:
• Increased contractor general conditions costs, which include multiple mobilizations/demobilizations associated with two separate projects. In addition, if two different contractors are awarded the two projects, they may carry different overhead and markup costs based on their differing capabilities and workloads.
• Increased construction costs due to inflation, associated with the longer construction timeline to complete two separate projects. It is estimated that the second phase of comprehensive upgrades would be completed in 2033, compared to a single-phase compressive upgrade being completed in 2030.
• Increased engineering and resident project representative (RPR) costs due to inflation, associated with longer design and construction timeline to complete two separate projects (and completion of two separate sets of contract documents).
• Increased design and construction contingency costs due to these multipliers being applied to two project construction costs.
A detailed comparison of the construction, engineering, contingency, and total project costs for the two project implementation alternatives is summarized in Table 1.
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