The latest cost projection for Vero’s relocation of its wastewater-treatment plant from the lagoon-front Three Corners property to the airport has now jumped to $178 million, according to City Water and Sewer Director Rob Bolton.
The project’s cost, which includes site work at the airport, has more than doubled over the past two years.
Bolton informed City Council members last week that the project will now require a $150 million bond issue – not the $130 million projected when the new facility’s price tag was only $158 million, just six months ago.
The bond issue, along with $26 million in grants the city has received, will cover the costs of design, construction and inspections.
City officials, who also considered partnering with the county and investing in major renovations to the existing facility, still say building a new plant at the airport provides the best service and the best price.
“There was no do-nothing option,” City Manager Monte Falls said. “We had three options. We evaluated them. We chose one that actually gives us the best water treatment and turned out to be the most economical to do.”
He also pointed out that, if the city doesn’t move the plant, there would be no Three Corners development.
Bolton said the city was scheduled to put the project up for bid last Friday, with interested contractors invited to visit the site Tuesday and provide staff with questions by Feb. 18.
He said the city now has set a March 6 deadline for bids, so he and other staffers can meet with contractors on March 18. He’s hoping to be able to recommend a contractor to the council before its April 22 meeting.
Bolton said the project, which has a 30-month construction window, should be completed in early 2028 – if, as planned, work begins “in the May-June timeframe.”
He also endorsed the project, saying it would be more efficient, especially from a maintenance perspective, to have both the water and wastewater plants in the same location.