The total cost for the levee certification process by the city of Portsmouth was $1,173,673, While the cost for the New Boston portion was $300,000. The Daily Times requested a breakdown of the expenses to the city of Portsmouth and received the figures on Monday from Rick Duncan, Portsmouth Wastewater Director.
From 2010 to 2011, the city paid Howerton Engineering $630,000 for a floodwall certification study “phase one.” The conclusion was a series of relief wells were needed and the estimated cost to build the relief wells was to be $1 million to $3 million.
From 2011-2012, the city paid AMEC Environmental $126,000 for a second opinion regarding the need for relief wells. Their conclusion was that two small relief wells were needed at an estimated cost of $200,000.
In 2013 AMEC Environmental received $61,750 to contract to design two small relief wells.
In 2014 Moody’s of Dayton was paid $161,000 for construction of the relief wells.
In 2014-2015 the city paid Howerton Engineering $126,000 and AMEC Environmental $10,000 in order to have the companies prepare a joint certification report.
In 2015 DA Van Dam & Associates received $58,923 when a sinkhole was discovered in January. The sinkhole was due to a deteriorated discharge pipe and DA Van Dam & Associates repaired the pipe in November of 2015.
In January of 2016 the certification documents were submitted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
On Feb. 8, 2016 FEMA requested additional information from Howerton and AMEC. The information from AMEC was received on March 9, 2016 at no additional cost to the city. The information from Howerton is pending. At first, Howerton had asked the city for an additional $5,000 for the additional information because that was to be the charge from subcontractor Thelen Associates. However, City Manager Derek Allen announced he was not going to pay the additional $5,000 and on Monday, Duncan said Thelen was going to do the additional work at no cost.
He said Howerton has three more things to do, including free board, which is basically surveying the top of the levee; closures of all the traffic gates and internal drainage.
In the end, the engineering total was $953,750 and the construction total – $219,923 for a total of $1,173,673.
It looks like certification is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
“We are getting close,” Duncan said. “We’re getting real close.”
On Monday, New Boston Village Administrator Steve Hamilton told the Daily Times, the certification process for their portion of the levee cost right at $300,000.
“We didn’t ask our people for (more money),” Hamilton said. “The village took out a loan, but we had to do it.”
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