By JIMMY LAWTON

OGDENSBURG -- Plans to hire a 4A operator at the wastewater treatment plant to replace the now-retired Tim Adams have been placed on hold, according a recent update from City Manager Sarah Purdy.

In March the city agreed to contract with the Development Authority of the North Country to help manage the plant and plan for long-term improvements and upgrades.

As part of the plan City Council said they would be filling the vacancy left by Adams with another 4A operator, but that plan has been put on hold after DANC officials say it’s possible the city could get by with a 3A operator instead.

That change is dependent on what long-term plan is developed for the future of the city’s wastewater plant, which is in desperate need of improvements. In past meetings DANC officials said one possibility would be to reduce operations at the plant to get the city into a category that would allow it to operate without a 4A specialist. Currently a 4A operator is required. For the time being, that role is being filled by a DANC employee.

“We are working closely with DANC to determine our staffing needs. With the uncertainty of knowing the future rating of our plant, we are trying to formulate how best to move forward. We are trying to address the information voids that have been created in the past by cross training our entire staff,” the update says. “We have postponed any hiring for a 4A until we better know how we should proceed.”

This all comes as the city is faced with a mandatory $5.3 million upgrade at the facility and an additional $5.2 million in long-term upgrades

The city also agreed to pay GHD Consulting Services $59,000 for a preliminary engineering report that will help the city make a solid plan for improvements.

In the past months city has also dealt with several equipment failures at the facility. Ideally the report from GHD will allow the city to update its equipment in the most efficient manner possible.