Village utility commission approves staff direction to bid farm interceptor project pending developer agreement

The Village Utility Commission on Aug. 13 directed staff to move forward to advertise for bids on a proposed farm-area sewer interceptor, with the caveat that the village will not award the contract until at least one developer signs a contribution agreement. Staff presented updated drawings from Strand and said the design is about 90% complete.

The project alignment was moved from an original easement in the southern portion of the site onto land owned by the Tierney family to support future development on their property. According to a staff speaker, preliminary agreements with two developers would provide a combined $400,000 to $500,000 in contributions toward the interceptor.

The staff speaker said the consultant’s current construction estimate, including a 20% contingency, is "just at about 1,700,000.0." Staff asked the commission for direction to advertise for bids now rather than wait for both developer agreements to be fully executed, explaining a later bid schedule could push construction past the start of frost season.

A commissioner voiced concern about starting work if only one developer signs and the other remains in limbo; staff replied the village’s preference is to have both agreements signed but that delaying the bid could postpone construction by several weeks. After discussion the commission reached what the chair described as a unanimous direction to proceed with bidding and to withhold award until a developer agreement is signed.

Next steps identified by staff include completing permit work, finalizing developer agreements, and returning to the commission for award when the village has the required signed agreement(s).