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Milton Street sewer line declared urgent; low bid $1.5M, city plans value engineering to reduce cost
Summary
The city described infiltration and overcapacity problems on Milton Street and presented bids. The lowest bid arrived at about $1.5 million; staff proposed value‑engineering that could cut roughly $600,000 and use existing budgeted funds plus reserves to proceed quickly.
City staff described urgent sanitary‑sewer problems on Milton Street after monitoring showed infiltration of rainwater and groundwater into the system. The need accelerated a previously planned rehabilitation project.
Bids and budget: The work was bid; the lowest responsive bid was approximately $1.5 million, higher than the city’s original budget estimate. Staff said the city already had roughly $700,000 budgeted for the project and asked council for authorization to pursue an alternate, value‑engineered approach to reduce scope and cost so the work could proceed without additional lengthy rebidding.
Value engineering and procurement approach: Staff said they discussed the funding and procurement approach with the city attorney and determined it would be workable to proceed quickly given the urgent infiltration problem. Staff said they would “value engineer” the project down to the work essential to stop infiltration and restore performance, using a 12‑inch sewer line design rather than the larger 15‑inch configuration recommended for longer‑term buildout. The plan would still meet immediate needs and preserve future options for upsizing as development pays for additional capacity.
Contractor and schedule: Staff said they have worked with a contractor (KCK Construction was referenced as a willing local contractor) and that proceeding quickly would reduce risk of another sanitary overflow or further ground infiltration. City staff said they will return with a contract recommendation and the necessary budget adjustment; the plan includes drawing on reserves for the delta between the budgeted amount and the expected value‑engineered price.
Technical details: Staff said a 12‑inch replacement will handle roughly 1 million gallons per day and will meet the city’s immediate demand, while a 15‑inch design would be needed only if buildout accelerates well beyond current projections.
No formal contract award was approved in the work session; staff asked for direction to proceed with the expedited, value‑engineered procurement and to bring back an item for formal council action.
