Committee favors local firm for water plant plans

A Vandalia City Council committee said on Monday that it favors going with an engineering firm that has an office in Vandalia for preliminary design work on a new water plant.
The council’s water and sewer committee discussed proposals for that design work that were submitted by Hurst-Roche Engineers and John Crawford & Associates earlier this month.
Alderman Mike Hobler said he would like to go with Crawford & Associates, which opened an office in Vandalia earlier this year, for a couple reasons.
“I like that Crawford’s guy is local,” and the fact that that firm has included in its preliminary work another firm that’s “more specialized” in water plant design.
Alderman B. John Clark also gave two reasons for picking that firm.
Crawford & Associates, he said, has a staff member that specializes in financing, “and they’ve got vast experience.
“It looks like we’d be getting more for our money,” Clark said.
Neil Clark agreed with his brother on Crawford’s experience. “You look at the history of what they’ve done for others,” he said.
Water Plant Superintendent Marty Huskey also weighed in, saying that Crawford & Associates “has shown a lot more interest,” explaining that that firm has already had a number of people involved in its proposal.
Huskey also said that Crawford & Associates has explained how it will “look at the standards coming down the road. That will save us money.”