Project will improve safety, appearance of facility
CARIBOU — City Council recently approved the removal and replacement of fuel storage tanks at the Caribou Public Works facility on 904 Main street.
Public Works Director Dave Ouellette outlined three tank removal options in a memo included with the Dec. 13 council packet.
The State of Maine Department of Environmental Protection, according to Ouellette, requires the tanks to be out of the ground by June 29, 2018. The Public Works Director recommended a plan to remove the tanks by next summer.
The three removal options that Ouellette outlined in the meeting packet for council members have pros and cons in terms of overall cost and long-term impact to the department. The first option, which includes an estimated cost of approximately $150,000, will improve both the safety and appearance of the facility.
Along with removing the old tanks, option one requires installation of all new equipment and wiring, with the exception of the fuel island terminal. Tanks would move underground to enhance the department’s safety.
Workers would also remove tanks for the second and third options, which are less expensive than the first. Option two would require two above ground tanks and cost approximately $110,000 while option three involves the removal of all tanks, fuel islands, terminals, and existing materials at the facility. Estimated to cost roughly $30,000, option three is the least expensive but would also require Caribou to arrange an agreement with off-site vendors for fuel.
“Although this is the least expensive option, there are many things to consider which will add to the overall cost,” Ouellette wrote. “If, for example, the diesel farm that was just installed by Daigle Oil on the Presque Isle Rd. was used for the public works department, travel time to and back could add as much as one hour of overtime per winter storm. Nine trucks and one loader could fuel up as much as twice per storm.”
Ouellette calculated that the reliance on an outside vendor could equal $7,500 in overtime during the winter hours alone, and suggested that council accept the first option.
Council wasted no time during their Dec. 13 meeting and voted to accept option one just seconds after introducing it during the meeting.
