City updates committee on 2024 bond street projects, water and sewer work and debt-service appropriation
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Summary
City engineering and program managers reported 33 Renew Street projects in progress, multiple designs at 90%-100% and early construction activity; water and sewer bond work totaling roughly $20 million (water) and $9 million (sewer lift stations) was described; finance staff said an ordinance will appropriate about $3.6 million for debt-service
City engineers and program managers gave the Planning & Infrastructure GIS Committee an update on the 2024 bond program, street-project designs and related water and sewer bond projects, and finance staff described a pending debt-service appropriation ordinance.
David Smith, City Engineer, said the Renew Street program has 33 projects underway, with about 26 in design and roughly six designs at or near completion. Marcus Bonton of Bonton's Associates, the program delivery lead for Renew Street, told the committee the Stoner Avenue project has completed design and bids were opening that day; Strathmore Drive is in construction. Smith and Bonton said Curtis Lane and Lakeshore Drive are being delivered as a package and that the Curtis/Lakeshore design is complete, with an expected advertisement and construction start within three to six months. Pines Road and other projects were described as ready to route into advertisement. They said Monkhouse Drive is at 30% conceptual design with three alternatives under mayor's review.
Council members asked why resurfacing projects require new designs; program staff said many bond projects are full-depth reconstructions or include drainage, curb-and-gutter and other features that require engineering plans and right-of-way or property coordination. Staff said they are trying to expedite design schedules and will provide members with project lists, design phases and completion schedules upon request.
On lighting and drainage, staff said Cross Lake Bridge lighting was down due to a presumed short and would be repaired under warranty pending DOTD traffic-plan approval. Several lighting projects have been bid or are being mobilized, including North Hearn and North Market and lighting in an industrial park; staff said some camera installations will be added and that other lighting bids are in progress.
Chris Erickson and other staff reviewed water and sewer bond items. Erickson said approximately $20 million is allocated to water-plant bond projects, with roughly $10 million expected to start construction next summer for a deep replacement line and a new intake design to be completed this year. He said valve replacements and other system work are ongoing and that staff are finishing a water model to assess the benefit of added elevated storage. For sewer, Erickson said about $9 million in lift-station work will go to construction next year, with multiple smaller lift-station bids and larger lift-station projects expected to be advertised by year-end. He also said some projects are coordinated to avoid paving followed by water or sewer excavation.
Finance staff (identified in the meeting as Miss Duck) said the city's debt-service fund is financed largely by property tax revenue and that an ordinance introduced at the meeting would appropriate approximately $3.6 million from reserves to fund first-year debt-service payments that were not included in last year's budget. Staff told members that future bond-sale timing would trigger similar appropriations when necessary.
Committee members asked for regular, shareable updates on project phases so council members can respond to constituent questions; staff agreed to provide those materials.