On a fast track to upgrade its wastewater treatment plant, Wildwood has designated a 64-year-old company as construction manager at risk for the project.
Commissioners Monday authorized City Manager Jason McHugh to open negotiations with PC Construction, founded in Vermont but with a regional office in West Palm Beach. The company will collaborate with Sawcross Contractors and Engineers of Jacksonville.
McHugh said he hopes to present a contract with the company for approval by commissioners in two weeks and that some improvements could be made within 60 days.
Home building in the Village of Southern Oaks and apartment construction elsewhere in the city are pushing the 40-year-old treatment plant toward it’s 2.8-million-gallon daily capacity limit.
Last month, McHugh announced that Wildwood had slowed down processing residential development plan applications until plans are advanced for upgrading the existing plant and building a new plant next to it.
Commissioners approved a $2.3-million design and engineering contract last October with CPH Engineers that covers all pre-construction phases of the project.
The two plants would be capable of handling six million gallons of wastewater daily and would allow a smooth transition from the old plant to the new one.
Wildwood is seeking $4 million in state funding to help pay for the project.
After issuing a request for proposals in December, the city received two responses. Both companies were ranked and made presentations to a selection committee. The scoring was close, but PC Construction was selected over Wharton-Smith general contractors of Sanford.
The selection committee’s general consensus was that PC Construction did a better job of addressing the project timeline, according to an executive summary of the process.
PC Construction recently worked on a $40-million wastewater treatment project in Daytona Beach, which is among 23 Florida projects the company has completed.
