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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Awarding Contract for a Waste-to-Energy Study RESOLUTION NO. 21-232 RESOLUTION AWARDING CONTRACT FOR A WASTE-TO-ENERGY OPTIONS STUDY FOR THE CITY OF AMES,IOWA WHEREAS, most of the municipal solid waste in Story County is transported to the City's Resource Recovery Plant (RRP), which has been in operation since 1975; and, WHEREAS, recyclable materials are removed from the waste through processing, and lighter, combustible materials are shredded into a refuse-derived fuel (RDF), which is transferred to the Power Plant and used as a supplemental boiler fuel in conjunction with natural gas; and, WHEREAS, the current co-firing process has operational limitations, and since the RDF cannot be effectively stored long-term, one of the Power Plant's units must be in near constant operation to dispose of the RDF as it is produced; and, WHEREAS, this limits the electric utility's ability to take full advantage of market energy at times when rates are low,and there is also corrosion and maintenance issues with the storage and combustion of the RDF; and, WHEREAS,based on these limitations,and consistent with a desire to continually improve the services provided to the community, on December 8, 2020,the City Council approved a scope of Services for a Waste-to-Energy Options Study; and, WHEREAS, through this Study, a consultant would be retained to evaluate all possible, credible options for disposing municipal solid waste in a waste-to-energy system and satisfy the County's solid waste disposal needs for 2023 and beyond; and, WHEREAS, these options would serve as a reliable solution for waste disposal and allow the City of Ames to perform as a leader/innovator in the Waste-to-Energy Industry, focusing on providing community-wide sustainability with minimum impact to the environment; and, WHEREAS, the Study involves developing projections regarding the quantity and characteristics of municipal solid waste for the County into the future, and evaluating five staff- identified options for waste-to-energy systems to dispose of that waste into the future; and, WHEREAS,for each option,the consultant is asked to evaluate capital costs,operational and maintenance costs, environmental impacts and permitting,externalities(such as truck traffic,odor, and noise), and the timeline to design and construct; and, WHEREAS,the ability to provide redundant systems and re-use existing components is also to be evaluated; and, WHEREAS,additionally,the consultant will be asked to identify the impacts of each option on the existing diversion programs (glass and food waste); and, WHEREAS, the five options to be evaluated are: 1. Resource Recovery and Power Plant As-Is 2. Dedicated RDF Unit inside the Power Plant 3. Dedicated RDF Unit inside the Power Plant with 20" RDF Sizing 4. Dedicated RDF Unit on a Greenfield Site 5. Dedicated Municipal Solid Waste Unit on a Greenfield Site WHEREAS, funds totaling$250,000 are available for this study,with$200,000 in funding from the Electric Department Capital Improvement Project budget and$50,000 from the Resource Recovery operating budget; and, WHEREAS, a Request for Proposals(RFP)was issued on January 4, 2021,to 32 firms and three bid services, and eight responses were received; and, WHEREAS, an evaluation team reviewed the Proposals and invited the top three firms for interviews; and, WHEREAS, RRT Design & Construction, of Melville, New York, emerged as the top candidate through the evaluation process; and, WHEREAS,City staff was impressed with the individual staff expertise in both key aspects of waste-to-energy: waste handling/processing and combustion/power generation; and, WHEREAS, City staff conducted reference checks of RRT's work in other utilities and positive feedback was received,both for the firm in general and the key staff who would be assigned to this project; and, WHEREAS,RRT's approach to the scope of services will involve preparation of technical memoranda for each of the five options the City had identified to explore, and RRT had indicated that its cost proposal includes the ability to analyze an additional option if one emerges during the early stages of the Study, and if the City agrees it is worthy to pursue; and, WHEREAS, as part of its capital and operating and maintenance expense projections, RRT will provide a financial model with various inputs that can be adjusted to develop financial projections under a variety of conditions; and, WHEREAS, RRT staff is aware that the City is developing a Climate Action Plan, and that the decisions made with regard to the City's waste-to-energy future may have a significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions into the future; and, WHEREAS, City staff will ensure that the Climate Action Plan consultant and RRT are apprised of any impacts one study may have on the analysis and/or potential options available in the other. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Ames, Iowa, that the Contract with Enviro-Services &Constructors, Inc., d/b/a RRT Design&Construction of Melville,New York, in an amount not to exceed$239,500 is hereby approved. ADOPTED THIS 27`h day of April, 2021. Diane R. Voss, City Clerk John A. Haila, Mayor Introduced by: Gartin Seconded by: Betcher Voting aye: Beatty-Hansen, Betcher, Corrieri, Gartin, Junck, Martin Voting nay: None Absent: None Resolution declared adopted and signed by the Mayor this 27`' day of April, 2021.