The 3,500 square foot, Wastewater Administration building, designed in 1978 and located at 3013 East Swift Road, is the primary hub for management, accounting, laboratory work, and plant operations at the Grand Island Wastewater Treatment Plant.  Over the four (4) decades since the building was completed, policies regulating building codes, personnel safety, and environmental protection have become more sophisticated and stringent.  Additionally, as Grand Island has grown as a City, the demands on the Wastewater Treatment Plant and its staff have expanded as well. 

When assessing the Wastewater Division’s compliance with existing and anticipated regulations, the review of the laboratory highlighted the following issues:

• A Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system used in the laboratory was shared with the rest of the building, posing an immediate safety hazard.
• The laboratory lacked a  fire suppression system.
• Equipment was discovered to be outdated and/or marginally functional.
• There is no capacity for growth to accommodate future needs.
• Inefficiencies and limitations in electrical and mechanical systems that are critical to future expansion.

A new building, expanding upon the existing structure, was designed with the goal of not only meeting current regulatory requirements for critical infrastructure, but anticipating future growth as Grand Island expands.

On June 12, 2017, via Resolution No. 2017-167, City Council approved a consulting agreement with HDR Engineering, Inc. of Omaha, Nebraska in the amount of $57,000.00 for Wastewater Treatment Plant Laboratory, Operations Control Center, and Administrative Building Renovation; Project No. 2017-WWTP-2.

On December 12, 2017, via Resolution No. 2017-348, City Council approved Amendment No. 1 to the agreement with HDR Engineering, Inc. in the amount of $220,289.00 to add design development, final design, and bidding phase services.  Such amendment resulted in a revised agreement amount of $277,289.00.

On April 24, 2018, via Resolution No. 2018-112, City Council approved Amendment No. 2 to the agreement with HDR Engineering, Inc. in the amount of $22,400.00 to finalize plans for bidding purposes.  Such amendment resulted in a revised agreement amount of $299,689.00.

On February 11, 2020, via Resolution No. 2020-38, City Council approved Amendment No. 3 to the agreement with HDR Engineering, Inc. in the amount of $237,378.00 to allow asbestos abatement, rebidding and construction engineering services.  Such amendment resulted in a revised agreement amount of $537,067.00.

On July 27, 2021, via Resolution No. 2021-178, City Council approved Amendment No. 4 to the original agreement,  in the amount of $13,800.00 to address final lab configuration, restroom modifications, and investigation of benefits and feasibility of installing a Building UV Disinfection System.

On April 14, 2020, via Resolution No. 2020-95, City Council awarded Sampson Construction Co., Inc. of Kearney, Nebraska the bid in the amount of $3,454,000.00 to construct the Wastewater Treatment Plant Laboratory, Operations Control Center, and Administrative Building Renovation; Project No. 2017-WWTP-2.

On September 28, 2021, via Resolution No. 2021-254, City Council approved Change Order No.1 to the original construction contract, in the amount of $4,118.00 to address several revisions to the project. 

On April 12, 2022, via Resolution No. 2022-95, City Council approved Change Order No. 2 to the original construction contract, in the amount of $(2,262.00) to rectify quantities.

On August 9, 2022, via Resolution No. 2022-212, City Council approved the Certificate of Final Completion in the total amount of $4,319,980.79.