By Jim Bloch
A Missouri firm has won the job to repair the sanitary sewers in a 20+ block area in the center of St. Clair.
SAK Construction, LLC, based in O’Fallon, Missouri, submitted the lowest of five bids for the work at $132,660. The St. Clair City Council made the award in a unanimous vote at its regular meeting July 7.
SAK’s bid was less the one percent lower than Pamar Enterprises of New Haven, Michigan, which bid $132,935 for the job.
Insituform Technologies USA, LLC, of Chesterfield, was the third lowest at $141,956, followed by DVM Utilities, Inc., of Sterling Heights at $167,169, and Inland Waters Pollution Control, Inc., of Detroit, at $198,162.
St. Clair’s consulting engineers at AEW, Inc., of Shelby Township, specified the job and evaluated the bidders.
“SAK Construction, based in Missouri, specializes in sewer lining installation and within the last few years has expanded their operations into Michigan with the majority of their staff having worked with other sewer lining companies locally in the past,” explained AEW project manager Ryan Kern in a letter to City Superintendent Steve Duchene. “SAK has recently completed sewer lining jobs for several communities in southeastern Michigan including the cities of St. Clair Shores and Mount Clemens being administered through our office. Our office has experience in the past working with several of their team members with other companies and find them to be very knowledgeable in their field and capable of completing a quality project.”
Last year, the area south of Clinton Avenue, west of the St. Clair River, east of 10th Street and north of the Pine River was cleaned and televised using closed circuit cameras to pinpoint defects in the sewer lines.
“Severely cracked or broken pipes rated in critical condition have been addressed through a sectional open cut repair program that was completed last month,” said Kern.
Instead of digging up the damaged pipes, SAK will repair the rest of the defects using cured-in-place pipe lining.
“Cured-in-place pipe is a seamless, jointless pipe installed within the existing pipe,” said Kern. “The pipe is a resin saturated felt tube of polyester that is inverted or pulled
through the existing sewer. Hot water or steam is used to cure the resin, forming a tight fitting, jointless and corrosion proof replacement pipe. Once installed, service laterals are restored internally with a robotically controlled cutting device…”
The company then sends a camera through the line to ensure that the relined pipe is satisfactory.
Jim Bloch is a freelance writer based in St. Clair, Michigan. Contact him at bloch.jim@gmail.com.
