Pipe rolls over contracted worker at city job site

By BRENNAN DAVID

Published May 7, 2012 at 5:01 p.m.
Updated May 8, 2012 at 1:48 p.m.

The worker, who was not identified, was performing sewer and water main extension work in the 1100 block of Cinnamon Hill Lanearound 2:30 p.m. when the accident occurred, said Battalion Chief Steve Sapp of the Columbia Fire Department. A 24-inch concrete pipe came loose while being moved on a front-end loader and rolled over the worker.

The man is not a city employee but was privately contracted through the city to perform the work.

He was taken toUniversityHospitalwith potentially life-threatening injuries, Sapp said.

Connie Kacprowicz, a spokeswoman for the Columbia Water and Light Department, said the project was contracted to a company called Jeff City Industries. The contractor was awarded a bid for a combination water, sewer and trail project, she said.

At the time of the accident, a 24-inch concrete-reinforced water main was being installed to help transmit water from the Shepard water tower to the Hillsdale pump station, Kacprowicz said.

A representative reached at the contractor's office this morning would not confirm the worker's identity or condition.

Sapp said the fire department also could not release the man's name or age because of privacy laws related to his medical treatment.Columbiapolice did not respond to the scene because there was no criminal aspect to the incident.

Improvements to Pump Station Project Could Cost Fenton $65,000

Neighbors unhappy with installations made toBriarwood Streetsewer pump station.

When workers were installing the improvements to a sanitary sewer pump station onBriarwood Streettwo years ago, Fenton resident Elizabeth Lum-Budry said she was told it would be a small structure and the family wouldn't notice it.

But when it was done, she and her husband John Lum-Budry definitely noticed it, she said.

When Fenton rebuilt theBriarwood Streetsanitary sewer pump station, parts of the improvements became visible in the neighborhood.

On the city's side of the sidewalk are two concrete-covered chambers, a 6-foot tall control panel, vents and a generator and gas meter, said Department of Public Works Director Daniel Czarnecki. Property owners contacted Fenton about the visual appeal, and proposed solution could cost $65,000, Mayor Sue Osborn said.

Mayor Pro Tem Cheryl King said she was among those who approved the lift station improvements. She didn't know how large it would be, in the city's right of way at the location. King told Michael Darga, of Hubbell, Roth & Clark (HRC), that she wished she knew the impact of the improvements before it cost the city.

"Would you like to live at that house?" King said. "I really hope we learned something by this. It's a costly learning."

Councilman Les Bland, the city's retired director of Public Works, said Fenton received a grant for the sewer lift station work. The city was at the maximum amount for its grant, and he doubts the state would have approved more money for aesthetic reasons.

Council had sketches of the project but didn't know the panels would be so large, Bland said. The sewer lift station project was discussed at city hall during a public meeting, but none of those questions were asked.

Councilwoman Pat Lockwood said it's great that Fenton is considering some changes at the location. It's a pump station the city can't do without, but "it's unfortunate if you live there," she said. The lift station improvements have decreased property values in the neighborhood, along with the general economic conditions.

The cost estimate, from HRC, includes $65,000 for the proposed visual improvements to theBriarwood Streetpump station, which includes $13,000 for design and construction engineering. In addition, aboveground concrete covers will be painted to help them blend into surroundings.

The project would include moving the electrical control panel, which is about 6 feet high, underground. An antenna for the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) still needs to be above ground, Czarnecki said. SCADA is an improvement that allows DPW employees to learn remotely, when the sewer lift station is experiencing an issue. They can often fix a problem via the SCADA communication system, without needing to visit the location.

The Briarwood sewer lift station lifts sewage that flows to it, so the waste can continue to flow by gravity to theForest Streetstation, Czarnecki said. TheForest Streetlift station lifts the sewage again, so it can continue to the main line that leads to the county treatment facility.

Lum-Budry asked to see a sketch of the visual improvement proposal beforehand, which council agreed upon.

The project is scheduled to come before city council for a vote at Monday's meeting, at 7:30 p.m. atFenton City Hall. Bland said it will need to proceed quickly to meet the schedule HRC proposes.