Contractors’ bids for the planned upgrade and expansion of Cranberry’s Brush Creek wastewater treatment plant, received in early February, came in well above their estimated cost. Construction of the project, which involves four separate contracts, was expected to have been around $41 million. But the bids received exceeded preliminary estimates by more than $15 million. At its March 3 meeting, Cranberry’s Board of Supervisors rejected all four sets of bids and authorized staff to seek a new round of bids based on a revised set of plans. The biggest changes to the design will involve moving some elements of the two-phase project from Phase I into Phase II – which is not expected to be started until at least ten years after Phase I is completed – together with modifications to certain other project components. In addition to deferring a significant portion of the Phase I expense, the change will make the plant’s already-small site less crowded and easier to work. The new round of bidding is not expected to materially delay the project’s 2019 completion. For more information, contact Jason Kratsas, Director, Engineering