The Town of Woodstock Selectboard has chosen Illinois-based Aqua-Aerobics Systems, Inc. as the principal equipment vendor for the substantial upgrades required at the municipality’s main wastewater treatment facility (WTF).
At a special meeting last Friday, board members heard a presentation from project engineers, Hoyle Tanner, on the merits and drawbacks of two proposals submitted by equipment providers Aqua-Aerobics Systems and competitors Parkson Corporation of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. A trio of Hoyle Tanner representatives, led by vice president and water quality team lead Kirsten DiPietro Worden, presented the results of a detailed comparison of the bids that both companies submitted on Oct. 14 in response to a request for proposals (RFP) issued by the engineering firm and Woodstock officials this past summer. Joining Worden in the presentation to the selectboard were her Hoyle Tanner colleagues Jon Olin, the vice president and regional business manager for Vermont, and Patrick McLee, an environment engineer with extensive experience in wastewater plant design and operations.
Based on weighted scoring in a head-to-head evaluation of nine criteria for the two proposals, the Hoyle Tanner team recommended that Woodstock officials select Aqua-Aerobics as the vendor for the core wastewater treatment equipment that will be used in the fully renovated town WTF. Following a brief executive session, the five-member selectboard ratified the Hoyle Tanner recommendation by a 4-0 vote, with selectperson Greg Fullerton recusing himself in what was his final action as a member of the town governing body. A member of the selectboard for the past two years, Fullerton resigned effective at the close of the Friday meeting to assume the post of Woodstock’s director of public works on Monday, Nov. 3. The Woodstock Public Works Department oversees the operations of the town’s two wastewater treatment facilities, among other responsibilities.
The next steps in the wastewater plant upgrade process include the signing of an NDA with Aqua-Aerobics and the incorporation of the company’s AGS system into the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation-required “30-percent design phase” for the project. Hoyle Tanner must submit that design proposal to the state authorities by the middle of this month. Following that, Hoyle Tanner vice-president and business manager Olin told Town Selectboard chair Ray Bourgeois on Friday, the engineering firm should be able to provide an estimated total project cost for Woodstock’s fully upgraded WTF, including all design, construction and labor costs, by month’s end.
At a meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 14, the Woodstock board voted unanimously to set a bond vote to fund the extensive WTF renovations for Town Meeting on Tuesday, March 5, 2026. Once the full estimated cost of the project is available, town officials have said a comprehensive public education campaign will commence in collaboration with Hoyle Tanner representatives to encourage Woodstock voters to okay the bond issue.
