By Myrna Trauntvein
TN Correspondent
The bid for the culinary well project was awarded by Mona City Council on Tuesday. The city had consulted with those who do the work and then had called for bids. Tuesday, the city council voted on accepting the bid submitted by Rhino as the lowest bidder on the project. “You will need to make a decision,” said Jonathan Jones, city water operator. He said that the bids were fairly equal but that Rhino came in at a total cost for the well at $61,419 and Wade Drilling came in at a total cost of $62,419. “I think either company will do a good job,” said Jones. “Wade Drilling pulled the well pump and piping and worked on the well before.” The VFD with Sine Wave Filter was bid at $21,315 by Rhino and the bid from Wade Drilling came in at $24,070. A variable frequency drive (VFD) is a type of motor controller that drives an electric motor by varying the frequency and voltage of its power supply. “Rhino has a good reputation and does a lot of work for cities,” said Jones. “Brayden Kay has worked with Rhino to get their proposal, and would be on-site to ensure that everything goes smoothly.” Rhino is headquartered in American Fork and Wade Drilling in Nephi. Jones said that the motors and pumps were made by different companies in both bids but were of the same quality and both companies bid stainless steel pipe 316 Schedule 40. He said that it was a good idea to go with stainless steel rather than PVC for the project because stainless steel will hold up better over time. In addition, when the pump motor is running, stainless steel will hold up to the stress better. Jones presented the bids at council meeting two weeks ago and then, at the council’s request, did further investigation to determine which bid most closely met the specifications for materials. A third bid, just for the VFD, was entered by ECT Sales. Katrina Long, council member, had requested that Jones check on existing customers and get feedback from that bidder before a decision was made on the VFD. Mayor Bill Mills asked for discussion and then for a motion. That motion was to award the bid to Rhino, as lowest bidder, and the vote was unanimous. “The well upgrade will now move forward,” said Jones. “It will take approximately two weeks to get the parts ordered.”
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