WARSAW — Bids were opened at 2 p.m. today, Oct. 11, for the upcoming Wastewater Plant Expansion project.

The city received five bids as follows:

• $25,710,750 – Kokosing Industrial, Westerville Ohio
• $27,488,000 – Bowen Engineering Corporation, Indianapolis
• $30,499,000 – Fetters Construction, Auburn
• $26,880,000 – Williams Brothers Construction, Peoria, Ill.
• $27,173,000 – Thieneman Construction, Noblesville

Each of the bids came in under the original project estimate of $33,400,000. The bids were taken under advisement and will be awarded at the Warsaw Board of Works meeting on Oct. 19.

In 2017, the current wastewater plant averaged at 101 percent capacity. This new project would involve a 50 percent plant expansion to handle six million gallons a day and would convert the plant to an anaerobic digestion.

This project has an expected completion time of late 2020.

The complete project timeline is listed below:

• Oct. 15 – first reading of the bond ordinance at Warsaw Common Council.
• Nov. 5 – adopting the bond ordinance and conduct the first reading of rate ordinance at Warsaw Common Council.
• Nov. 19 – conduct rate hearing and adopt rate ordinance at Warsaw Common Council.
• Dec. 13 – bond closing.
• Dec. 17 – notice to proceed given to contractors.