Miami County commissioners on July 23 awarded a $3,641,035 contract to Timco Blasting and Coatings to build a force‑main sewer pipeline from Bucyrus to Spring Hill, voting 4-0 to approve the low qualified bid.

The project is intended to replace service from the failing Bucyrus wastewater plant and move wastewater to Spring Hill’s system. Brett Wagner, a consultant with Governmental Assistant Services, said the project will be paid with a mix of loan proceeds, grants and a county cash contribution, and that the county expects some funding or cost‑sharing from the city of Spring Hill.

The contract award follows a competitive bid opening this month that drew five bidders; Abby Mills, project manager for BG Consultants, told commissioners the apparent low bidder is an Oklahoma‑based heavy‑civil contractor that routinely does pipeline work and will use local equipment suppliers. “They are a Oklahoma based company that do pipelines and heavy civil work in the Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas area routinely,” Mills said.

Mills and Wagner said the contractor must receive concurrence from the funding agencies — including USDA and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) — before mobilizing. Mills said the contract will include a 365‑calendar‑day work window to accommodate excavation and seasonal constraints for the 30‑foot‑deep lift station and related work.

Wagner said the project’s timetable depends on each funding agency’s review schedule; the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) administrator had extended the project previously to Dec. 31 and agency concurrence remains a next step. Commissioners indicated staff will provide schedule information to coordinate the county’s construction with nearby road projects.

Commissioners and staff praised BG Consultants and the project team for producing plans that attracted multiple competitive bids despite recent volatility in construction pricing. The commission’s vote to award the contract was the final approval needed to issue a notice of award and begin agency concurrence and preconstruction steps.

Less urgent items discussed in meeting minutes included routine staff reports and other agenda items.