Canton City authorizes $259,485 design contract for Great Sky pump‑station odor control

Canton City Council voted unanimously Dec. 18 to approve a $259,485 design contract with Black & Veatch for odor control at the Great Sky pump station following recurring citizen complaints.

Miss Watson told the council the city commissioned an odor‑control study after a rise in complaints in 2023–24 and implemented near‑term fixes that did not eliminate the problem. She said the study found emissions "lower than health limits" but nevertheless sufficient to produce daily nuisance odor complaints. "We requested Black & Veatch to do the odor control study for us," Watson said, describing the firmindings and recommendations.

The proposed solution is a bio‑trickling filter integrated with the existing lift station rather than a plug‑in device. Watson said a properly designed bio‑trickling filter treats air more efficiently and "should not need any type of major maintenance for at least 10 years." She said the $259,485 figure covers design, bidding services and some permitting; about $50,000 of that line item is for a design‑development report that may not ultimately be required. In the earlier study, staff estimated a construction/install lifecycle figure in the ballpark of $400,000.

Councilor Miss McGrew moved to approve the design proposal not to exceed $259,485; the motion passed unanimously. Watson said the city will put the project out for bid after design and return to council to seek approval of the construction contract.

The item follows resident testimony during the meeting raising odor complaints among other infrastructure concerns and directs staff to move forward with design work as the next step.