MORGANTOWN – Construction on a $101 million overhaul and expansion of the Morgantown Utility Board’s Star City wastewater treatment plant officially began Jan. 27, 2017.
It will end, at least substantially so, almost exactly four years later, according to MUB General Manager Mike McNulty.
McNulty recently told the utility’s board of directors that the project is 98.7% complete and that contractor Ultman Schutte has begun addressing “punchlist items,” meaning issues that need to be addressed prior to finishing the job.
The planned 42-month work schedule had an initial completion date in September 2020. That was later contractually extended to January 2021.
“It appears our contractor, Ultman Schutte, is going to be on track to meet the Jan. 20 substantial completion deadline,” McNulty said.
McNulty previously said final completion — typically when all punch list issues are checked off — would follow in spring 2022.
The plant was built in 1965. MUB leadership, in explaining why rate increases were needed to fund the project, said the facility was essentially operating at capacity in 2016.
This work will increase the treatment capacity of the plant from 12 million gallons a day to 20.8 million gallons.
Months into construction, the scope of the undertaking prompted MUB to purchase the neighboring property from 84 Lumber to be used as a staging area. The 2.5 acre parcel cost the utility $1.6 million.
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