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Council approves purchase of roughly 7 acres for Well 12 to bolster Freeports water capacity
Summary
Council approved an ordinance to acquire land and easements for Well Number 12 after staff said the site will add redundant water capacity and position the city for state grant funding. The purchase was approved 8-0; staff said the site will support water service to the low zone that serves roughly 70% of the city's customers.
The Freeport City Council approved an ordinance on March 3 to acquire about seven acres of land and associated easements along Fairgrounds Road for construction of Well Number 12, a project staff said is needed to provide redundant water source and treatment capacity.
City Manager Boyer and city staff told the council the well site — located south of Crate Park near Yellow Creek — was selected after months of property searches and water testing. Staff said the site offers good water quality comparable to Well 11, is situated on higher ground with lower flood risk and is positioned to feed the city’s low zone, which was described in the meeting as supplying about 70 percent of Freeport’s population and major commercial areas.
The council approved the ordinance following a suspension of rules; the final vote was 8-0. Staff said the city has already placed $9,500 in nonrefundable earnest money toward the option agreement and that the city negotiated the tract down to roughly seven acres. A council briefing gave an approximate per-acre price of $22,000, which staff said includes earnest money; the owner reduced the acreage from an originally discussed 10 acres to 7 acres.
Why it matters City staff presented the property purchase as a prerequisite to qualify for state and federal funding opportunities tied to emerging-contaminant remediation and forgivable loans; Boyer said moving quickly is important to preserve eligibility for grant funds and loan forgiveness that will support drilling and treatment. Staff indicated funding possibilities in the range of several million dollars and said construction would follow award of those funds.
Technical details and timeline Staff said the well would be drilled to depths similar to Well 11 (approximately 1,300 feet), tapping permanent aquifers associated with the Yellow Creek hydrogeologic area. The city’s schedule anticipates going out to bid on the well house at the end of the month; staff said IHDA and other funding reviews would occur through summer, and, if awarded, expenditures would occur through July 2027 under the two-year spending windows described for some funding sources.
Cost and budget context Council members asked about price and budgeting. Boyer and staff said they used local market research and previous budget planning to set an acceptable price range; two other parcels considered were rejected as unaffordable. Staff characterized the $20,000–$22,000-per-acre figure as high for farm ground but reasonable for commercially usable ground and said the property’s attributes, including lack of flood risk and future expansion possibilities, justified the price. The city manager said the acquisition was included in the 2025 budget planning as a land purchase line item.
Vote and next steps The ordinance approving acquisition of land and easements for Well Number 12 passed 8-0. Staff will move forward with the option and closing process and proceed with design and bidding to preserve eligibility for grant funds for well drilling and treatment.
