Council here has approved a request for proposals for the provision and installation of meters for 925 water customers.
The tender also seeks a cost for the installation of backflow prevention devices.
The township agreed it would also consider proposals for a handheld metering system or one that collects data by using a tower.
Finance director Mike Givens told council there is still some hesitation in the urban areas about water meters and their benefits.
The main selling point for many is they pay only for the water they use.
Givens specifically directed council to two sections of his report. One stated all proposals must include a public education program for the promotion of the project.
The contractor will propose a program and then execute it.
As a minimum, the contractor must inform the customer why the township is implementing a water meter program and the benefits of it, provide meter reading instructions and explain how to detect leaks.
The other section dealt with the connections of the meter to a property owner’s system.
The contractor must install and use material that conforms to the current provincial plumbing code and be in accordance with the manufacturer’s published instructions.
The contractor shall not receive any extra payment for adapting any existing water service line and internal plumbing to different service lines to accommodate water meter installation.
But, Givens stated in the request for proposal, “if the service is too corroded, is not accessible to permit a meter installation, requires a complete replacement or is deteriorated to such an extent that major replacement is necessary and thereby prohibits a meter installation, the proponent shall notify the premise owner that they should arrange to have the required work done.
“The proponent shall ensure that the premise owner understands that the repairs are to be done at the premise owner’s expense.”
After Givens explained the details of the request for proposal, councillor Neil Driscoll asked, “Anyone hooked into the [municipal water] system would have a meter?”
Givens said, “Correct,” and called it the “most equitable” pricing policy the township can use.
Mayor Bruce Whale asked if the meters would be outside of homes. Givens said they would be inside.
Whale then asked, “And you can read that?”
Givens said North Perth is able to read 2,500 similar water meters in two hours, and he added the readers would not have to enter the homes, but there could be cases where readers fail to pick up the readings.
The township, with the help of the successful bidder, will prepare a letter to households that will introduce the company to locals.
The letter is designed to generate good will towards the contractor. After that letter, though, it will be up to the successful contractor to contact the homeowners.
The township is requiring three contacts:
– delivery of the letter, which will invite the homeowner to call the company and arrange an installation appointment (that letter will also include a 24-hour emergency repair telephone number);
– send installation crews out to the areas to conduct installations, attempt to contact those who did not call to make an appointment and leave a package at the door of places where no one is home; and
– call premise owners and make appointments, and send reminders and final notices directly to homeowners or tenants that are not responsive (that letter should clearly state the contractor has been unsuccessful in attempts to contact them and should instruct the premise owners to phone for an appointment within a two-week time span).
After three contact attempts, the contractor will advise the homeowner the installation cannot be completed. At that point the contractor will have fulfilled its obligation.
If the township is able to arrange an appointment during the operation phase of the contract, the contractor will perform the installation.
Council approved the request for proposals. The deadline for the bids is Sept. 14.
