Finance Committee - 12/5/2018 Page 4
From: Dan Kooken, Purchasing Manager
Re: Energy Recovery Upgrades — Construction Services (Value: $1,787,373)
MOTION BY ALDERWOMAN KELLY TO ACCEPT, PLACE ON FILE AND, CONTINGENT UPON BOARD
OF ALDERMEN APPROVAL, AWARD THE CONTRACT TO METHUEN CONSTRUCTION IN THE
AMOUNT OF $1,787,373. FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE IN DEPARTMENT 169, WASTEWATER
ON THE QUESTION
Mayor Donchess
Mr. Boucher, do you want to take a moment to explain this one, it is a big item.
David Boucher, Superintendent of Wastewater
Sure, thank you. Dave Boucher, Superintendent of the Waste Water Facility. This project entails upgrades to
an existing building at the Waste Water Facility. The building currently houses a generator that powers our
digester complex. The generator has failed and is beyond repair. So we are receiving 2 new generators,
Caterpillar Generators. This upgrade would modify the building along with all the piping, the electrical
conduits, and the computer system that maintains the generators.
It also provides for a mixing skid, or | should say the generator runs off of biogas that is produced by the
digester complex, which is methane gas. The new generators will run off of both methane and natural gas mix
that is more efficient for the generators, so this whole facility would do that and the mixing skid is kind of an
upgrade also which blends the two gases together in a proper mix.
Alderwoman Caron
Yes thank you, | Know this is an important facility. Did this just happen or has this been a time thing or was this
lack of maintenance or just age. | mean it is almost $2 million dollars and | know we have spent a lot of money
there and | certainly don’t see any major things happen but it is just a question, a little concerning.
Mr. Boucher
The generator was not in operation when | started in January, it is aged because the generator cannot be
rebuilt they don’t make parts for it and there is new technology now that can make things more efficient. The
generator ran off of just methane gas which probably didn’t add to, | guess generators, what I’m told is that
they don’t run well off of just methane gas, it has to be a blend so that probably also did it in.
Alderman Caron
So this will make it even more efficient?
Mr. Boucher
Correct.
Alderman Caron
Ok thank you | appreciate that.
Alderman O’Brien
Thank you Mr. Mayor. Mr. Mayor with your indulgence if | may to Mr. Boucher, since | have been on Finance,
we have a lot of this, the digester failed and everything else. | think in the past and no blame or anything, but
