FREEHOLD – A $7.83 million contract has been awarded by the Borough Council for the construction of a new water treatment plant on Waterworks Road, Freehold Borough.
During a meeting on March 16, council members awarded the contract to Coppola Services Inc., Ringwood, which presented the lowest bid for the job, according to a resolution.
Other bids were received from JPC Group Inc. ($10.6 million), CMS Construction Corp. ($10.5 million), Tomar Construction Group ($10.4 million), Clyde N. Lattimer and Son Construction Co. Inc. ($9.34 million), Quad Construction Co. ($9.21 million), DeMaio Electrical Co. Inc. ($8.48 million), Eagle Construction Services Inc. ($8.4 million) and Rapid Pump & Services Corp. ($8.29 million).
Freehold Borough’s existing water treatment plant on Waterworks Road was constructed in 1949 and most recently upgraded in 1977, according to municipal officials, who have said the facility has reached the end of its useful service life. Officials have said it would be impractical to improve the existing plant for multiple reasons.
Engineer Brian Dougherty, of the firm Mott MacDonald, previously informed the governing body the new plant would be constructed 11 feet above the 100-year flood elevation and would include security fencing, alarms, solar panels, variable frequency drives on the well pumps, a geothermal heating and cooling system, and LED lighting.
At the same time, council members authorized a professional services agreement with Mott MacDonald in an amount not to exceed $390,000 for construction administration of the project. The firm will provide engineering services, supervision and oversight of the construction.
As stated in a resolution, Mott MacDonald has been working with borough officials since 2015 on the project and the governing body believes the expertise of the firm’s team and the working relationship the firm has developed with the borough throughout the process will provide value to Freehold Borough during the project’s construction phase.
