OLD ORCHARD BEACH — The town has enrolled the services of environmental engineering firm Wright Pierce to do the design work for a new wastewater treatment administration building.

The town’s wastewater treatment plant, located at the end of Manor Street, processes wastewater from buildings hooked up to the town’s sewer system.

The 2017 census reported that Old Orchard Beach had nearly 8,900 residents. According to town estimates, this number swells to about 75,000 in the summer. A study from Wright Pierce about 10 years ago found that more than 90 percent of existing development was hooked up to the town sewer line.

A 2011 study from Wright Pierce found that about 90 percent of the town’s plumbed buildings were attached to the sewer line.

In November, Old Orchard Beach residents approved a $1 million bond to cover the bulk of the cost of a $1.35 million project to construct a new wastewater administration building. The rest of the money, $350,000, will come from the town’s sewer reserve fund.

The current wastewater administration building was not built with the intention of being an administration building, and has several code violations, according to town officials. The building was constructed in the 1960s as a laboratory, control room and single office. It was expanded in the 1970s and the additional space was used for a sludge processing area, which was converted into make-shift office space in the 1980s.

On Tuesday, the Town Council unanimously, with councilor Joseph Thornton absent, approved the town spending about $124,000 for Wright Pierce to come up with a design for the proposed building.

Wright Pierce has offices throughout New England and Florida and has provided water, wastewater and infrastructure engineering services since 1947.

The town is also considering an unrelated wastewater treatment project to address odor issues from the wastewater treatment plant. The proposal, which will be voted on by the Town Council at a later date, would include an odor control system and cover for a sludge holding tank.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 780-9015 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.