Wastewater treatment contract settled

The canceled contract for a wastewater treat plant has finally been settled costing the city an additional $200,000 to get out of the contract for convenience.

In total, the city paid around $550,000 to the contractor Black Castle for what amounts to essentially nothing.

The money will likely be pulled from the city’s General Fund.

The $3 million contract was given approval to proceed by the city at the end of February in 2018. After the May election, the new council elected to cancel the contract in August deciding to have the wastewater treated by Aqua Texas.

The only visible work done in Wimberley was the leveling of a construction area near the back of Blue Hole Regional Park along FM 3237. It is expected that the city will have to pay to have the area of the park remediated to return it back to a more natural state.

“The attorney advised that we got a settlement with Black Castle that is as good as we could expected based on our exposure and expected cost,” Barchfeld said. “We have to pay $200,000 (more than already paid) to Black Castle and that releases us from any contractual work and releases us from the contact for convenience. The $200,000 may seem high, but it is anticipated that further litigation would run at least that much.”

Those on the current city council that voted in favor of the change in scope to the sewer project argued that the sunk funds were worth the change because the cost of treating effluent with Aqua Texas will save more than $150,000 per year.

Councilmember Allison Davis, who was the lone vote against the measure, said that the cost savings estimates had not been properly vetted and that without approval from the Texas Water Development Board for the change to Aqua Texas that the move to settle the contract was premature.

Davis was the lone vote against the measure.

The city held a town hall and public hearing on the change in scope for the wastewater treatment plant on Tuesday evening after the Wimberley View’s time of press. See next week’s Wimberley View for full coverage.