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The Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen has approved a bid for Insituform Technologies, LLC to telescope and flush an extensive section of interceptor sewer lines that have proven problematic for prior contractors.

The vote came during the regular BOMA meeting July 2.

The bid came in at $351,521.50, and the work is hoped to resolve some major blockage in lines near the Little Duck River.

County urban growth boundary resident Sarah Bradley asked the board to rebid the project, saying that there were errors in the bid proposals.

Referring to a color chart complied and distributed to the board, she said that certain pipes were listed in the bid as sizes that the system does not have.

During the discussion, Alderman Julie Anderson recognized Water and Sewer Director Jeffery Perry to address Bradley’s concerns.

Perry said he had not looked at Bradley’s information, but said the bid was recommended by the Water and Sewer Commission and by the civil engineer Adam Carter.

“I know Adam Carter checked the references … of both companies,” Perry said. “Both companies had reputable references. We feel confident that going with (Insituform).”

The board approved the bid 4-0 with Alderman Donny Parsley absent and Alderman Ryan French arriving later during the meeting.

Water Department director pitches on-call roster

In an unrelated report to the board, Perry called for a mandatory on-call roster emergency after-hour repairs.

“The operation of on-call has been on a voluntary basis,” Perry said. “Within the last week, we’ve had four water main breaks plus one today. Some of the guys are basically getting run into ground. Some like it, some don’t, but it needs to be across the board.”

Perry said the roster would require an hour extra a day for being on call, two hours for holding the answering service, and two hours minimum for calls.

Perry said he started operations reports that will record details weekly, monthly and yearly data for future reference.