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Freeport awards engineering contracts and multiple street and water construction bids totaling millions
Summary
The council approved construction–engineering contracts and awarded low bids for water-main and street reconstruction projects, including Carroll Avenue, Blackhawk/Willow/Harvey and contractor roadwork; funding will combine state, city and utility sources.
The Freeport City Council approved multiple professional-engineering contracts and awarded low bids for a roster of 2025 water-main and street projects that city staff said are part of the council’s five‑year plan.
City staff recommended and the council adopted a Professional Engineering Services agreement with Fairgram for 2025 water-main construction engineering at $337,500 and a separate Fairgram contract for 2025 street construction engineering at $225,000. Manager Rob Boyer presented the items and summarized the scope: the water work includes roughly 3,000 feet of replacement on Carroll Avenue, Blackhawk Avenue, Harvey and Willow; the street work is funded by a mix of IDOT, motor fuel tax, the city’s 1% local road fund and utility CIP funds.
The council also awarded the build contracts after public bid openings: Helm Group was the low bidder for the Carroll Avenue water‑main and street reconstruction project at $1,028,338.50 (reported in the packet as $1,000,520 plus $28,338.50), Fisher Excavating was the low bidder for water‑main work on South Blackhawk, Willow and Harvey at $1,233,392.70, and Kelsey Excavating was the low bidder for contractor street improvements (mill, grinding, ramps) at $1,615,161. The annual MFT materials bid (hot mix asphalt) was awarded to Helm at a delivered price reported as $63.10 per ton. City staff said several low bids were below engineer estimates.
Funding for the projects will come from a combination of sources: the city’s previously approved 1% local road fund, IDOT and motor fuel tax funds, plus utility (water) reserves for the water‑main components. Manager Boyer and public‑works staff said the projects address pipes and pavements with frequent breaks and “deplorable” pavement conditions; council discussion emphasized an aggressive construction timeline using a mix of contractor work and city crews for paving.
Why it matters: the awarded contracts and bids represent the bulk of Freeport’s 2025 pavement and water‑infrastructure program; the work is intended to reduce water-main breaks and improve transport corridors, and staff said some paving will be completed by city crews to reduce cost.
All contract and bid awards listed on the agenda were approved by recorded roll-call votes.
