There are more than 2,000 manholes in the city of Hays and each one requires some rehabilitation about every 50 to 60 years.
The time has come for the city to repair an estimated 20 of its manholes that are showing signs of wear, like crumbling soft concrete or failure of the iron ring encircling the opening, according to Jeff Crispin, director of the city’s Department of Water Resources.
“It’s kind of hard to predict. We know that we have a lot of manholes that we need to do every single year,” said Crispin, speaking Thursday evening to the Hays City Commission during its regular work session at City Hall, 1507 Main St.
Failure can block a sewer line and cause overflows, or worse, people and vehicles can be harmed in the event of a manhole collapse, Crispin told the commissioners.
He recommended the city hire Wichita-based Utility Maintenance Contractors L.L.C., which submitted the lowest bid of $60,000 in response to a request for proposals from the city. The commissioners will vote on whether to award the contract at their regular meeting next Thursday, Sept. 13.
“The sewer would remain in service,” Crispin said. “We don’t foresee any situation where we’d have to have the sewer out of service.”
(Read more: News – The Hays Daily News)