The Moab City Council voted Oct. 14 to award a $1,997,770.01 contract to Bay Brothers Construction for bank-protection work on Mill Creek under a grant from the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

City staff described the work as part of a 2022 NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) grant awarded after flooding. The grant funds installation of gabion (stone-filled wire) baskets and other bank-stabilization measures at locations where the creek has scoured private-property banks. Staff said the NRCS award covers most of the bid; the city will provide a 25% match that was already budgeted in the capital improvement program.

Mark (city staff) told the council that private easements were obtained for most locations but that one parcel owner had declined to participate; staff said they would reapproach the remaining property owners and could remove a nonparticipating site from the plan. Engineers must sign off that the final designs will not increase flood risk to other properties.

Council discussion focused on property-owner opt-in, staging-area impacts at Rotary Park (which may require temporary closures of portions of the park during construction) and the project timeline. Staff said the contract includes 100 calendar days for construction but acknowledged that an extension could be necessary if legitimate delays occur.

Vote and next steps: Council voted unanimously to award the contract; staff will finalize easements, conduct preconstruction meetings and coordinate staging and park access with the contractor.

Ending: Staff said additional creek work will follow in later phases and that NRCS or other grant programs may be pursued for future work downstream.