Marble Falls hires contractor to speed up water treatment plant project

The Marble Falls City Council voted to approve the hiring of MGC Contractors Inc. as the construction manager at risk for the One Marble Falls Plant, the city’s new water treatment facility. The decision came during the council’s regular meeting Tuesday, Oct. 18, as the design process for the new plant reached 60 percent completion. 

The council hopes to streamline construction and reduce costs by using the construction manager at risk delivery method (CMAR).

MGC Contractors was chosen from among four bidding firms. The council cited the company’s professionalism, attention to detail, and competitive pricing as the winning factors. MGC will receive about $8 million to act as the overarching construction contractor for the project, which has an estimated price tag of $50 million to $60 million. 

By approving the CMAR delivery method, the council locked in a guaranteed maximum price for the plant, creating an incentive for MGC Contractors to complete it on time and keep costs down.

“It will be the largest construction contract that I think the city of Marble Falls has ever entered into,” said Robert Adams, the principal project manager with Plummer Associates Inc., which was awarded the plant’s design contract in April 2021.

According to Adams, MGC’s bid was only $300 more than the lowest of the four firms. 

MGC will collaborate with the Plummer Associates design team and Marble Falls City Manager Mike Hodge.

“(MGC) will be involved in the design process as we finish up the design, giving us feedback and review and potentially saving the city significant dollars as they interact with the design team,” Adams told the council.

He explained that MGC would be able to start purchasing equipment and materials ahead of construction, which could save money and time for the city due to recent unstable pricing and supply chain issues across the country.

“This is what we do,” said MGC Texas General Manager Kevin Little during the meeting. “We are water and wastewater gurus, and we’re excited about it.”

Little walked through his firm’s priorities, touting a strong emphasis on good culture, quality, and safety. He said the firm is committed to spending money locally and sourcing materials when possible from surrounding communities.

“We had dinner here before we came (to the meeting), our small tools will get repaired here, we’ll buy materials here, and we’ll buy locally,” Little said. “We won’t source out of state.”

After the presentations from Adams and Little, Marble Falls Mayor Richard Westerman spoke highly of MGC.

“We had some very professional presentations and incredible contractors,” he said. “These guys were like a shining light in that group, and I think we’re making a good choice here.”

According to Westerman, the last wastewater project the city completed cost about $4.5 million, which is just 9 percent of the proposed plant.

“We take spending this kind of money very seriously,” he said. “I think that we have a great partner with you guys.”

After a motion from Councilor Dave Rhodes to approve the contract, the council voted unanimously in favor.

A new water treatment plant has been planned since 2020, when the city was awarded $2.5 million to begin work after the current plant was washed out with the flooding of the Colorado River in October 2018.

In February 2021, the city purchased 49 acres of land at $107,800 for the new plant northwest of Walmart on U.S. 281.

In April 2021, the city approved a $1.1 million contract with Plummer Associates for the plant’s design. 

The final design was solidified at a council meeting in July. The facility will use the innovative Nereda Process to treat water, which is new to Texas, and be capable of processing 3 million gallons a day, twice the amount of the current plant.

“We’ll be a place for other cities to come and see how to do this right,” Westerman said.

dakota@thepicayune.com