The contracts for Pro-Vac and Pape and Sons Construction Inc., the two companies who helped streamline the process of the Gorst sewer main repairs, were presented and confirmed at the Bremerton City Council meeting Wednesday.

The two companies stepped in to help the City of Bremerton repair the sewage main in a timely fashion after an emergency was declared by Bremerton Mayor Greg Wheeler.

“With the emergency, we executed a couple contracts outside of our typical procedures,” City of Bremerton engineer Tom Knuckey said. “These contracts would normally come to council but because of the fast response, the emergency proclamation allowed us to move forward.”

The initial damage resulted from non-standard pump operations during an investigation that resulted in a water hammer damaging the force main, causing 800 feet of pipe to require repairs.

From March 29 through April 3, the operation required 24/7 staffing from city staff to tank the sewage. New piping was installed and connected later that week, putting the new force main in service. From April 11-15, pavement restoration, cleanup and demobilization occurred to wrap up the project. Knuckey pointed out to council members that “crews were exhausted.”

In terms of the contracts, Pro-Vac provided 24/7 sewage tanking from March 28 – April 3. Pape and Sons Construction Inc. provided all field construction, including bypass piping and force main installation.

“Pape and Sons really stepped up on this; they sent us a class A crew and did a fantastic job,” Knuckey said. “They could not have been more responsive for us. I can’t say enough about that company.”

Repair costs are estimated at a total of $350,000, but are not set in stone, according to Knuckey. An estimated $76,725 from Pro-Vac and an estimated $120,000 from Pape and Sons Construction Inc. Other expenses came from city labor, city purchased materials and other contingencies.

“I’m very confident we aren’t going to exceed the $350,000 in costs,” Knuckey said to council members.