City Administrator Gary Jorn explained the piece of equipment is very important. When waste arrives at the wastewater treatment plant, the waste is ground up and then pumped throughout the system.
The current grinder is 11 years old.
Public Works Director Trevor Campbell discussed the grinder issue with the Board of Public Works which opted to purchase a new grinder in an amount of $79,910 from JCI Industries in Lincoln versus spending $25 thousand to refurbish the current grinder.
Due to the unreliability of the current grinder, employees are required to don safety gear and climb down into the pit to clean out the screens to keep the facility operating.
