Medina borrows $1.25 million to fix big water tank

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 December 2015 at 12:00 am

File photo by Tom Rivers – The 3-million gallon water tank on Route 31A was drained on Sept. 28, 2015 so inspectors could check the tank for structural deficiencies.

MEDINA – The Village Board approved borrowing $1.25 million to take care of serious deficiencies in a 3-million-gallon water tank on Maple Ridge Road.

The Orleans County Health Department is pushing the upgrades. The village drained the tank and made emergency, temporary repairs in late September.

The tank is currently about a third full, at a water height up to 11 feet. It is currently passing Health Department standards at the low water level in the tank, said Brian Sibiga, an engineer with Wendel.

The firm will be paid $80,079 to oversee the renovations to the concrete tank. Wendel will do design work and prepare bid specifications for a project that is expected to go out to contractors in March with the work done before the peak summer water demand.

The proposed upgrades/improvements include concrete patching, crack coating, and upgrades to the tank exterior with crack sealing and coating. There will also be upgrades to the tank’s interior and improvements to the existing pump station.

“There is quite a bit of work needed on the tank,” Sibiga told the Village Board this evening.

The upgrades should give the tank another 20 years of useful life, Sibiga said.

The village also is looking to replace about 2,000 water meters for village customers. That project will improve village efficiencies and water operations. The Village Board declared the project would not have a negative environmental impact.

That project is separate from the $1.25 million being borrowed for the water tank project.