By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

Issues with supply chains and labor shortages have driven up costs across the board, including the estimated cost for the new White Rock Water Resource Reclamation Facility (WRRF).

As a result, the Los Alamos County Council approved 6-0 to authorize the utilities manager to amend the final loan documents with the New Mexico Environment Department Clean Water State Revolving Fund and return to council for approval. The loan will be increased to the maximum amount of $30 million.

The approval was made during Tuesday night’s regular council meeting. Council Chair Randall Ryti was absent from the meeting; he is attending the 2021 United Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

The loan is for 30 years and will fund construction of a wastewater treatment plant that is expected to last 50 years.

Department of Public Utilities (DPU) Manager Philo Shelton explained why the increased loan amount for the WRRF is necessary.

He explained when bids were received for the new facility, which will replace an aging and failing wastewater treatment plant, they were more than what DPU had anticipated. As a result, DPU went to the state and asked if the loan amount, which will cover the facility’s design, construction and any contingencies, could be increased. Shelton said the final loan will be whatever is the actual cost of the WRRF; he added that $30 million is the worst-case scenario.

Issues with supply chains as well as labor shortages are some of the reasons behind the increased costs, Shelton said. In response, the design of the WRRF was revised. Shelton said it is not the Cadillac version but more closely resembles a Chevy.

“It’s a good plant but it is not over the top,” he said.

Council agreed that it was necessary to increase the loan amount.

“This is a project we need to meet our discharge limits and requirements,” Councilor Sara Scott said. “I don’t feel this is going to get cheaper … we need to move ahead with it and get an updated plant to serve us for the next 50 years.”

“This is definitely a project that needs to be done,” Councilor Denise Derkacs said. “It’s been in the planning stage for years. I fully support this.”

Once the loan amount is approved, Shelton said the next step will be to prepare a budget revision for approval, select a bid and award a contract, which should go to council for consideration in January.

In other business, council: 

• Introduced Ordinance No. 711, which is a $2.5 million loan/grant agreement with the New Mexico Finance Authority to construct a filtration treatment process system at the Los Alamos Wastewater Treatment Plant.
• Approved 6-0 to transfer two County-owned parcels of land along Trinity Drive to the New Mexico Department of Transportation. The transfer will be for the installation of a new bus bay for transit bus service. The bay, along with adjacent curb, gutter and sidewalk will extend beyond the NM502 right-of-way and into County-owned parcels. The work is expected to start in the spring of 2022.
• Approved 5-1, with Council Vice Chair James Robinson abstaining, the report to District Court on the Los Alamos County jail conditions. The report found the jail conditions satisfactory.
• Heard an update on the Los Alamos County Animal Shelter. Police Chief Dino Sgambellone reported that following the shelter ad-hoc advisory committee’s recommendations and council’s direction, several changes have been made. These include hiring an additional employee so there is a total of four public safety officers. Additionally, several improvements were made to the shelter including a dog run, cat tower, a catico, a strip curtain, kennel fence slats, heaters and a snow blower. Sgambellone added that the shelter volunteer program has restarted after being paused due to COVID. He further reported that 94 percent of stray dogs are returned to their owners and 60 percent of stray cats are returned to their owners. Both these percentages are far above the national average. Also, 88.5 percent of animals not returned to owners are adopted, which also is above the national average.
• Learned that an appeal has been made regarding the council’s approval to condemn the former Hilltop House Hotel. The appeal will be presented to Council in December.