Libby officials are poised to put a long awaited upgrade to the city’s wastewater* treatment facility out to bid.

Mayor Peggy Williams said Feb. 22 that the city engineer was prepared to begin soliciting bids for a roughly $545,000 bar screen project at the treatment plant. Along with the bar screen, the project calls for flow control gates, associated control panels, and a solids washer and compactor, among other items.

Williams said that DEQ and other agencies had given the project the green light.

“This has been a project that’s been a long time coming,” she said. “It’s taken quite a period of time to get it to this point.”

Bids will be accepted at Libby City Hall until 3 p.m., March 21. Those proposals received by the deadline will be publicly opened and read.

Officials will hold a pre-bid conference at 2 p.m., March 4 at the wastewater treatment plant on City Services Road. Attendance is encouraged, but not required.

City Councilor Brian Zimmerman made the motion on Feb. 22 to initiate the bidding process. City Councilor Kristin Smith offered a second. The vote was unanimous.

*The wastewater treatment plant was erroneously referred to as the water treatment plant.