Pumptech Inc. to complete Well 9 project

The Ritzville City Council selected Pumptech Inc. to complete the Well 9 Pump Station project.

In 2014, the City of Ritzville signed a contract with Kirby Hunt Construction Ltd for the completion of the Well 9 Pump Station to be used as a source of water for residents.

After completing the project, the well seemed function correctly during operation but failed during shut down. This caused the well to eventually fail completely.

The city spent an immense amount of money in an attempt to fix the well after the original contractor informed the Council during an open session he did not know what caused the failure of the pump during shut down.

They have been working with engineers since May 2015 to try and find the solution to the problem.

After engineers discovered the issue to be the lack of appropriate lateral space, Kirby Hunt Construction proposed to fix the well for a maximum amount of $220,000.

The company stated they had been in contact with Flow Serve, the manufacturer of the parts used for the pump in order to fix the problem.

The city received two other bids under $400,000 from Pumptech Incorporated and Specialty Pump and Well. The Council reviewed the proposal from each contractor and decided to grant Mayor Gary Cook with the power to make the final decision.

After discussing the bids, the Council also decided to choose between the two high bidding contractors due to additional services proposed.

During a council meeting on Dec. 20, Attorney Milt Rowland of Foster Pepper announced the city accepted the bid proposal from Pumptech Inc. for $368,946.81.The bid proved to be $25,000 less than Specialty Pump and Well, he explained.

Rowland said after the city decided to terminate the contract with Kirby Hunt Construction in August 2015, they spent a lot of time and money to fix the problem and complete the duties stated in the contract.

He said the bid proposal from Kirby Hunt Construction did not include completing certain tasks stated in the 2014 contract, which they deemed necessary for completion. Pumptech Inc. proposed to complete all the responsibilities and in a timely manner, Rowland added.

The proposed bid from Kirby Hunt proved to be different than the duties requested in 2014 and is the main reason the city denied the bid, Rowland added.

Rowland stated they are unsure if the city will receive compensation for the time and money lost due to the fact the bonding company denied them coverage.

He said the company blamed the failure of the pump on the design instead of the installation from the contractor.

Despite the uncertainties pertaining to the Well 9 Pump Station project, Cook said the city is happy to be moving forward in the completion of the project.

The project is scheduled to be completed before the summer.