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Wastewater company pulls out of Gold Hill Monday Feb 27, 2017 at 12:01 AM Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune A company that has been running Gold Hill's wastewater plant under contract with the city has parted ways with the town over alleged failure by the city to renew its contract and resolve a list of "critical, unresolved issues." Southern Oregon Water Technology owner Mike Bollweg, who signed on to manage the city's wastewater treatment system in January 2015, said this week that an expired contract and a growing list of issues forced the company to cease providing services for the city. "Southern Oregon Water Technology and staff had no choice but to hand total responsibility of its treatment plants and infrastructure back to the city of Gold Hill, as SOWT could not obtain, after several attempts, either a temporary extension of the old contract that had expired or a revised contract for services, this to maintain legal authority to manage the systems," Bollweg said in a written statement. "There were also other critical, unresolved issues that forced a rapid departure from their facilities," he added. With a largely new council on board since January, the city has faced a slew of changes after the city declined last year to renew the contract of former city manager Rick Hohnbaum, and City Recorder Mary Goddard resigned last month. In addition to limited staff — a handful of temp workers are filling in at City Hall — the city is in the midst of a large project to repair and modernize its sewer-collection system. With its wastewater treatment plant deemed a risk for catastrophic failure and a potential threat to the Rogue River in 2013, the city has been under a state order to mitigate risks. In addition, residents have endured frequent broken water lines and "boil water" notices in recent months. Mayor Chris Stanley, who traded her council seat for the mayor's job Jan. 1, did not return calls or emails from the Mail Tribune. Carl Tappert, Rogue Valley Sewer Services manager, said his district stepped in last month under an intergovernmental agreement to provide temporary service. With the initial contract expiring at the beginning of March, Tappert said RVSS would extend its services for another 30 days to allow time for the city to entertain a year-long contract. "We're planning on extending that original agreement for an additional month to cover through the end of March, and our goal, by the end of the month, would be to come up with a longer-term agreement to operate both their wastewater treatment plant and collection system," Tappert said. After the collection project is completed, Tappert noted, the city would be tasked with deciding the best course of action for the 35-year-old wastewater treatment plant. Options include rehabbing the old facility, complete replacement, or bypass — via an eight-mile line — to pipe the city's sewage elsewhere. While Bollweg's company was operating both sewer and water systems for the city, Tappert said RVSS would operate only the sewer system. The current monthly contract with RVSS is set at $17,000 to cover materials and labor, Tappert said, while a year-long contract would be closer to $360,000 per year. Councilor Zachariah Dell said the city was left "vulnerable" by Southern Oregon Water Technology's departure, but he said City Council was working well together and recovered quickly. Dell said he hoped to see the city opt for the pipeline option over replacement of the wastewater plant. Doing so, he noted, could cut residents' existing bills from around $55 to half or less. "It would vary due to bonds or loans currently existing from previous councils and for capital improvements," Dell said. "But it should be cheaper than current no matter the shakeout." — Reach freelance writer Buffy Pollock at [email protected]