By Jim Reece - Construction companies walked the route of the proposed Plymouth Water Pipeline last Thursday from Tanner Treatment Plant to Plymouth’s water tank. During the Amador Water Agency’s Board meeting last week, Engineering Manager Gene Mancebo said, “as we speak, there is a mandatory bid walk under way for prequalified bidders.” The companies included Ranger Pipelines, which built the 30-inch Amador Transmission Pipeline, plus Doug Veerkamp General Engineering, Granite Construction Co., HPS Mechanical, JMB Construction, KW Emerson, McGuire and Hester, Mountain Cascade, Sundt Construction, T&S Construction Co., Teichert & Sons and Vinciguerra Construction. The Plymouth bid opening is October 23rd, and AWA could award the project as soon as the next day. The anticipated award date is November 13th and the Late Award date is December 22. Companies are allowed 12 months to complete the pipeline. AWA expected to initiate service to Plymouth by December 2009, but could do so as early as September 2009. Later Thursday, the Plymouth City Council and staff hosted a meeting on the pipeline. Plymouth City Manager Dixon Flynn said the council was not promoting a decision but letting residents and parcel owners decide on new water and sewer rates that could fund the pipeline. Flynn said that the city can raise rates, but under Proposition 218, had to notify people of the hike. The people in turn can protest and stop the rate hike. He said people must know that if the pipeline is built, the AWA would not be subject to Prop. 218, so it could raise rates without protest to customers. Flynn said “we are going to have rate increase,” noting that it was “already in the works.” Mancebo said the AWA is liable for the and if the city misses a payment, the agency must make the payments. Plymouth must pay off the loan, otherwise AWA ratepayers are “on the hook for that.” Flynn said that when the pipeline is built, the city gives 100 percent ownership to AWA. Mancebo said in the Pipeline’s Segment 6, Plymouth has the option of “First Refusal of Service” to new hookups. AWA controls the rest of the pipeline’s hookups and customers.