The Greenfield City Council unanimously approved 4-0 an amendment to its procurement agreement with Cloacina, LLC, reducing the company’s contract for a new packaged membrane bioreactor (MBR) treatment system from almost $32 million to roughly $26 million.
“This saves us almost $5 million,” said Jamie Tugel, public works director, adding that the change “will also free up funds to be able to ensure that we can fund our remainder of the wastewater treatment upgrade project.”
The $5 million reduction follows months of coordination among the City, HydroScience Engineers and Cloacina, LLC to refine the equipment and design for Greenfield’s planned wastewater treatment plant upgrade.
To achieve the savings, the City and Cloacina, LLC agreed to reduce the number of MBR trains from four to three, while upgrading the membrane technology to maintain capacity. The system will still be able to handle roughly 1.8 to 2 million gallons per day, according to Tugel.
The amendment also adds two sludge dewatering units, removes a low-flow configuration that would have limited throughput, and includes shade awnings and spare parts.
Mayor Rob White said the lower contract amount will help preserve funding for other portions of the wastewater treatment plant upgrade. The project is supported by $111.3 million in Clean Water State Revolving Fund financing, including grants and loans for planning, design, environmental work and construction.
The Cloacina, LLC agreement includes $150,000 for phase one design support and a renegotiated phase two price guarantee of almost $26 million through 2026.