PERFORMANCE PROFILE,
Bowling Green, Missouri
1: INITIAL OPERATIONS CHALLENGES
1: Initial Operations Challenges
First among the City of Bowling Green's
operations challenges was a shortage of the qualified
professional
and technical personnel needed to operate its facilities. - The new Northeast Correctional Center, located in the area, also required a new wastewater treatment facility, and experts to operate it.
- Aging water treatment facilities were in need of replacement, and the need for improved and expanded facilities presented budget and administrative challenges to the city.
While preliminary discussions of the concept of contract operations were taking place between Alliance and the City, changes in key operating personnel left Bowling Green without properly licensed operators to meet DNR requirements. At the request of the City, Alliance provided interim supervision by drawing on professional and technical expertise in its other operating divisions. After being awarded full responsibility for the operation, Alliance assigned an experienced full time manager and immediately put into place improved work schedules, preventive maintenance programs, and operational procedures.
- A new two-stage, 2.0 mgd surface-water treatment plant added in 1998 to replace an aging facility has substantially improved the quality of water produced.
- A 0.75 mgd sequencing batch reactor (SBR) wastewater treatment facility was completed in 1998 to treat the total wastewater flow generated by the Northeast Correctional Center. New Regulatory requirements now make it necessary to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant. The City plans to combine operations into one single location in order to reduce costs and minimize energy consumption.
- Alliance developed a biosolids disposal program to serve the new SBR wastewater facilities.
- In 2000, Alliance responded to identified City needs with a program to combine separate water, wastewater, and public works functions into a single, well-managed workforce. Benefits include increased cost effectiveness, efficiency, and co-utilization of equipment/resources.
- The City's cross-trained public works crew now works together on projects ranging from line breaks to street repair to snow removal.
- City public works employees were brought onto the Alliance team with no loss of jobs.
- Savings from the combined public works contract in equipment usage allowed Alliance to cut to cut $60,000 out of proposed budget for water and wastewater alone in the first year.
- A water and sewer main replacement program has been implemented. When the program is complete, citizens will benefit from reduced repair costs and improved drinking water quality.