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Grand Rapids approves multiple water, sewer and filtration expenditures and budget substitutions
Summary
The commission approved budget substitutions and contracts to fund drinking-water and wastewater capital work including a city match to DWRF projects, grit-tank improvements, lead service-line work and facade repairs at the Lake Michigan Filtration Plant.
The Grand Rapids commission approved a series of budget substitutions, contract awards and authorizations to advance water and wastewater capital projects across the city.
Ty Verbrugge, utility financial officer, explained a budget substitution of $1,596,115 to cover the city’s match portion of projects funded by the state Drinking Water Revolving Fund (DWRF). Verbrugge said the city issued a DWRF bond in July and the proceeds will cover most project costs, but some expenses are ineligible for that funding and must be funded with city cash.
James Oates, environmental services manager, briefed commissioners on a $700,000 budget substitution to complete phase 2 of grit-tank improvements at the Water Resource Recovery Facility, saying the transfer of funds comes from sewer capital projects and “will not have any impact on our final sanitary sewer budget.”
Separately, staff told commissioners the city continues to use operating funds on the private-side portions of lead-service-line replacement work while pursuing additional grant and loan funding, including an earlier EPA grant application and ongoing DWRF loan funding. Officials said they had about 900 lead service lines under contract as public-side replacements.
The commission also approved awarding a facade-repair contract at the Lake Michigan Filtration Plant to Kent Companies, with the low bid of roughly $1.215 million and a total not-to-exceed amount near $1.66 million for the project. Another authorization increased funds for cleaning and painting the Eljer Reservoir, adding $100,000 to reach a total not-to-exceed of $297,050, and staff warned additional funding requests might return pending interior inspections.
All motions on these items passed. City staff said they will continue to pursue state and federal grants to offset operating funds and will return to the commission if further authorizations are required.
