Author: Ashley Stottlemyer

The City of Charles Town, West Virginia, by and through its Utility Board is seeking proposals for professional services from qualified firms for testing of biosolids from the Charles Town Wastewater Plant.

CTUB is seeking a firm that has the capabilities to assess the Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) content of biosolids from the Charles Town Wastewater Treatment Plant located in Charles Town, West Virginia. The firm selected should utilize a laboratory approved by EPA to Support UCMR 5 testing. The firm selected should also be proficient in Method 1633A of 40 CFR Part 136 testing methods for wastewater and biosolids. The firm selected should be equipped with the expertise to physically collect, process and analyze at least four (4) weekly sets of samples for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) content of the biosolids product from the Charles Town Wastewater Plant.

The Request for Proposal (RFP) submission with its terms, conditions, attachments and all other forms in this package are due by Friday, February 7, 2025 by 4:00 pm. RFP’s received after the due date and time will not be accepted.

Please submit three (3) copies (via Mail or Hand Delivery) of all requested information to:
Charles Town Utility Board
661 S. George Street, Suite 101
Charles Town, WV 25414

A copy of the RFP is available at the Charles Town Utility Board office as listed at the address above or email Ashley Stottlemyer at astottlemyer@ctubwv.com.

The City of Charles Town, by and through its Utility Board will afford full opportunity for minority business enterprise to submit a show of interest in response to this invitation and will not discriminate against any interested firm or individual on the grounds of race, creed, color, sex, age handicap or national origin in the contract award and reserves the right to accept or reject any/or all proposals.

CTUB reserves the right to modify or cancel this RFP and/or the project; to reject any or all proposals; and to waive any or all irregularities. This RFP does not obligate CTUB to award a contract for the project or to reimburse any costs associated with the preparation of any proposal.

Proposal Requirements
Responses are to be concise, specific and straightforward. All pertinent information is to be contained in the response. Each response is to include the following:

Item 1 – Information pertinent to the respondent’s background and experience relative to this project, public relations experience with a utility provider and/or public entity. List specific experience pertaining to UCMR 5 and Method 1633A testing.

Item 2 – List of current clients.

Item 3 – Three (3) references. The Proposer shall provide a list of three (3) client references, at least two (2) of which shall be current clients, for whom the same or similar type of services as those sought in this RFP have been or are being provided. The Proposer shall provide the location of the properties served, a contact person, electronic mail address, if available, and telephone number for each. CTUB reserves the right to contact clients for reference checks. In the event the Proposer plans to subcontract any services, the above information shall be provided as it relates to the subcontractor(s) and the services that will be performed by such subcontractor.

Item 4 – Firm Name, Address and Telephone number and email addresses.

Item 5 – Main Contact person.

Item 6 – Resumes of personnel to be assigned to the project.

Item 7 – Fee proposal, include a breakdown of all fees for each task.

Item 8 – The proposer must be a registered contractor with the State of West Virginia and obtain a business license with the City of Charles Town.

Information Requests
All questions and requests for information are to be directed to the designated CTUB Contact Person, Ashley Stottlemyer at (304) 885-0010 or astottlemyer@ctubwv.com.

Proposals will be accepted until 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 7, 2025. Three (3) copies of each proposal are to be delivered to 661 South George Street, Suite 101, Charles Town, West Virginia, 25414 to the attention of Kristen Stolipher, Utility Manager. Proposals received after this time will not be considered and will be returned unopened. All proposals being mailed (including Federal Express, UPS, Priority Mail, etc.) or hand-delivered shall be directed to the attention of Kristen Stolipher, Utility Manager, in a sealed envelope and be clearly marked on the outside of the mailing or hand delivered envelope as follows: “RFP Proposal – WASTEWATER BIOSOLIDS SAMPLING AND TESTING OF PER- AND POLYFLUOROALKYL (PFAS) SUBSTANCES”

Evaluation and Selection
All proposals will be evaluated by a small in-house committee made up of at least two (2) CTUB Directors and two (2) CTUB staff members familiar with the project. Interviews and/or presentations of the proposals will be requested if needed. The proposals will be evaluated based on the criteria listed above. Although not required, a point ranking system may be used to aid in the evaluation process.

The final scope of work and fee will be negotiated with the selected vendor. All firms submitting proposals will be notified of the selection results.

PUBLIC NOTICE
CHARLES TOWN UTILITY BOARD
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR
PUBLIC RELATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES

The City of Charles Town, West Virginia, by and through its Utility Board is seeking proposals for professional services from qualified firms to provide Public Relations and Communications Services. 

CTUB is seeking a firm that has the capabilities to work in collaboration with the CTUB Board of Directors and Staff to develop proactive public relations programs that strategically help maintain and/or improve opinions and communications with the public.  The firm should have proven capabilities in local media relations, customer relations, organizational marketing, website and social media management, and issues/crisis communications.  Experience specifically related to Municipal Utilities and environmental issues such as PFAS, EPA and West Virginia Department of Environmental regulations is preferred but not required. 

The contract is anticipated to begin on March 1, 2025, for a period of one (1) year with the potential for extension thereafter.    

The accompanying RFP with its terms, conditions, attachments and all other forms in this RFP package are due by or before 4:00 pm on Friday, January 17, 2025.  RFP’s received after the due date and time will not be accepted.

Please submit three (3) copies of all requested information to:
Charles Town Utility Board
661 S. George Street, Suite 101
Charles Town, WV 25414

Copies of the Public Relations and Communications Services Request for Proposal Document are available at the Charles Town Utility Board office as listed at the address above or email Ashley Stottlemyer at astottlemyer@ctubwv.com.

The City of Charles Town, by and through its Utility Board will afford full opportunity for minority business enterprise to submit a show of interest in response to this invitation and will not discriminate against any interested firm or individual on the grounds of race, creed, color, sex, age handicap or national origin in the contract award and reserves the right to accept or reject any/or all proposals.

CTUB reserves the right to modify or cancel this Request for Proposals (RFP) and/or the project; to reject any or all proposals; and to waive any or all irregularities.  This RFP does not obligate CTUB to award a contract for the project or to reimburse any costs associated with the preparation of any proposal. 

Proposal Requirements

Responses are to be concise, specific and straightforward.  All pertinent information is to be contained in the response.  Each response is to include the following:

Item 1 –           Qualifications of the Organization:  How long in business, location(s), size of staff, qualifications or current personnel.

Item 2-              Information pertinent to the respondent’s background and experience relative to this project, public relations experience with a utility provider and/or public entity. 

Item 3-            List of current clients.

Item 4-            Three (3) references.

Item 5 –           Submit a case study of a public relations program the firm has completed for a comparable client, including challenge presented, a description of the program implemented and any subsequent results.  Please include contact information for the client. 

Item 6-            Firm Name, Address and Telephone number and email addresses. 

Item 7 –           Main Contact person.

Item 8 –           Respondent’s size and organizational structure. 

Item 9-            Resumes of personnel to be assigned to the project. 

Item 10 –         Fee proposal, include a breakdown of all fees for each task.  The fee breakdown should be summarized with a total monthly cost to CTUB. 

Information Requests

All questions and requests for information are to be directed to the designated CTUB Contact Person, Ashley Stottlemyer at (304) 885-0010 or astottlemyer@ctubwv.com. 

Proposals will be accepted until 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 17, 2025.  Three (3) copies of each proposal are to be delivered to 661 South George Street, Suite 101, Charles Town, West Virginia, 25414 to the attention of Kristen Stolipher, Utility Manager.  Proposals received after this time will not be considered and will be returned unopened.  All proposals being mailed (including Federal Express, UPS, Priority Mail, etc.) or hand-delivered shall be directed to the attention of Kristen Stolipher, Utility Manager, in a sealed envelope and be clearly marked on the outside of the mailing or hand delivered envelope as follows: “RFP Proposal – Public Relations and Communication Services.”

Evaluation and Selection

All proposals will be evaluated by a small in-house committee made up of at least two (2) CTUB Directors and two (2) CTUB staff members familiar with the project.  Interviews and/or presentations of the proposals will be requested if needed.  The proposals will be evaluated based on the criteria listed above. 

The final scope of work and fee will be negotiated with the selected vendor.  All firms submitting proposals will be notified of the selection results. 

The 2nd Quarter Pipeline Newsletter published by the West Virginia Public Service Commission is now available on their website. To view, click here.

On a biannual basis, the Charles Town Utility Board opens fire hydrants to flush water lines of accumulated sediments that can cause discoloration in customers’ homes and other buildings.  At each stop, a staff member will open a hydrant and take samples to measure water quality as well.  To flush the lines, water system workers systematically open fire hydrants and let the water flow at full force until water appears to clear. 

The purpose of the flushing program is to provide a safe high quality water supply to the customers of the Charles Town Utility Board.  Debris can enter and accumulate in a water distribution system.  Disinfectant residuals can deplete due to low usage and disinfectants may combine with materials in the system to form undesirable byproducts.

Flushing the water system on a regular basis removes sediment from lines and keeps the entire distribution system refreshed.  CTUB maintains over 80 miles of water lines throughout its service area. 

Even though the overall goal of the flushing is to reduce sediment in water lines, customers in or near a section of the city that is being flushed may temporarily experience heightened discoloration in their water.  This does not indicate that the water is unsafe to drink, cook with, or bathe in, but it would be advisable to avoid doing laundry until the discoloration of the water is eliminated. 

Customers experiencing cloudy or discolored water can try leaving taps open in a bathtub or sink for 20 minutes.  It is important not to run hot water, however, as that would fill the building’s water heater with water that contains sediments. 

You will be able to recognize our employees by a number of identifiers:

• CTUB employees will be driving vehicles with the CTUB logo
• CTUB employees will be wearing uniforms with the CTUB logo

If you have any questions or concerns about flushing or the crews in your area, please contact our Customers Service staff at (304) 725-2316 and they will be happy to assist you. 

CTUB uses the Spirit of Jefferson newspaper as well as its own website to announce hydrant flushing before it occurs.  Customers can sign up for website notifications at www.ctubwv.com. 

Frequently Asked Questions:

What’s that taste?

During Spring flushing, some customers may notice a more pronounced chlorine taste or odor in the water. Filling a pitcher with water and placing it in the refrigerator will help to alleviate the chlorine taste.

Why does my water have a “milky” or “bubbly” appearance during flushing?

This is simply a result of the oxygen in the water being stirred up during flushing causing visible air bubbles. Letting the water sit in a glass for a few seconds will take care of the air bubbles. 

Why is my water discolored?

Flushing may result in a temporary discoloration and the presence of sediment in your water.  These conditions are not harmful and should be of very short duration.  If noticed, avoid doing laundry during this time (while crews are on your street or in your immediate area) to avoid discoloration.  If water remains discolored or cloudy for an extended timeframe contact CTUB at (304) 725-2316. 

Will my water pressure be affected? 

Some customers may notice slight pressure fluctuations when our crews are working in their area.  Pressures will return to normal once the flushing has finished. 

West Virginia DHHR is offering a new program available to low-income households. The West Virginia Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) will offer assistance to eligible households with services that have been disconnected or are pending disconnection. These eligible households may receive up to $1,000 when water and sewage is included in the same bill, or $500 towards the payment of each of their water and sewage bills when services are billed separately. Eligible households seeking assistance that have current bills with no past due balance may receive up to $500 when their water and sewage is included in the same bill, or $250 towards the payment of each when the services are billed separately. Payments will be paid by voucher. A one-time payment is made during a fiscal year period and the payment cannot create a credit balance. LIHWAP will be available until September 30, 2023.

For more information on the program, click here.