Craig Howell NEW COMPLETION DATE – Members of the Weirton Area Water Board, including, pictured from left, Bob Kolanko, Councilman Anthony Rocchio, and Utilities Director Butch Mastrantoni, listen during Thursday’s board meeting.

WEIRTON — Some additional work is increasing the originally budgeted costs of the expansion project at Weirton’s water treatment plant, with board members notified Thursday. There also is an anticipated extension of the project timeline.

Weirton Area Water Board members received an update on the project during their meeting Thursday, with Jesse Alden of Thrasher Engineering explaining there was a decision to install new electrical components in one area of the system when previous plans called for using existing equipment.

Alden said when contractors got into the section of the system, they found the existing electrical work would be too outdated to work properly with new components.

“It was determined that equipment needed replaced,” Alden said.

In addition, a new roof system was installed in the area over the clear well filters, with Utilities Director Butch Mastrantoni explaining it will use a longer-lasting fiberglass design as opposed to the existing plywood.

That was a new aspect of the project, with staff recommending it after seeing it used as part of the expansion at the wastewater treatment plant.

With the change, the contract has been increased by $90,281.41, for a total cost of $40,610,446.96.

Originally, officials had projected substantial completion for the water treatment plant project would be June 20, with final payment by July 20.

As a result of these changes, engineers now expect substantial completion Oct. 15, with final payment in November. Those extensions, however, were not part of the resolution approved by the Water Board Thursday, with board members asking for an update on any associated “soft” costs, such as engineering and monitoring expenses, before agreeing to the timeline change.

Ben Erste of the Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission noted there is still some money available in the project’s contingency — approximately $85,000 — which could be used if needed. He and Alden said they do not anticipate additional engineering costs.

“I’m not anticipating, at this point, to have any additional RPR (resident project representative) costs,” Alden said.

These changes are in addition to a previously known delay resulting from the project needing to find a new vendor for air stripper components after the previous vendor went out of business in November. A new vendor was found and approved in April, with the board still awaiting delivery of the equipment.

The expansion project is designed to grow the plant’s treatment capacity from 4 million gallons per day to 8 million gallons per day in an effort to better serve the needs of the existing community as well as potential new residential and commercial development in the city.