The Beaver Dam Common Council will move forward with several resolutions tomorrow that pave the way for major upgrades and expansions of the city’s wastewater treatment facility. Beaver Dam was been awarded $20 million in stimulus money last month. Beaver Dam plans to expand their outdated wastewater treatment plant and incorporate green technology into the upgrade. Alderpersons tomorrow will consider a professional services contract with Applied Technologies for construction services at a cost of $964,000. The contract for the actual construction could be awarded to low-bidder C.D. Smith of Fond du Lac, whose total base bid was $16.8 million. Half of the $20 million is an outright grant while the other half is a low-interest, tax-free loan. The plan will allow the city to pre-treat waste from Kraft Foods and convert it to biogas which will be used to generate electricity, saving the city about a quarter million dollars a year in electricity costs. In addition, Alliant Energy will buy surplus electricity from the city, estimated at another quarter million dollars annually. Beaver Dam got one-fifth of the $106 million allotted the state in recovery funds for wastewater construction projects, which is intended to create jobs and stimulate local economies. This new green approach will allow the city to keep utility bills below $40. A 2007 facilities plan to upgrade the sewer treatment plant would have increased sewer bills from the current $37 a month to nearly $50. The project should be complete by the end of next year
