Concerned about proposed new higher costs for remodeling the city’s main sewer lift station, the Ladysmith Common Council voted 6-0 Monday to request its engineer submit a list of similar projects it has done for other communities.

MSA Professional Services has requested an additional $39,500 for engineering work associated with upgrading the aging structure. City officials want to know if it would be cheaper to build a new lift station instead of renovate the old one as projected overall costs are on the rise.

Public Works Director Kurt Gorsegner called the lift station “in worse shape than he thought it was in,” noting you never know what needs to be fixed until you start tearing it apart. He added no physical work has been done so far by MSA

“They haven’t torn anything up yet. This is stuff they did not put in their original proposal,” said Reynolds, referring to new proposed engineering cost hikes. “Maybe the entire scope of the project should be looked at if it is going to cost $2 million instead of $1.4 million.”

More of this story appears in the Thursday, July 29, 2010, issue of the Ladysmith News.