Council approves engineering add-ons and multi-million-dollar lift-station bid; some aldermen press for more oversight

Freeport — The City Council approved multiple public-works contracts and bids Monday, including additional engineering services, construction observation for two lift-station rehabilitations and a related generator, and a low construction bid for the lift-station projects. Several aldermen urged staff to provide more detailed billing and scope documents before future increases.

Council action included: approval of additional professional-services funds for Fairgram (general engineering/master services, time-and-materials basis) to cover high 2025 workloads; a $146,750 construction observation and engineering agreement with Fairgram for renovations at the Galena and Laurel sanitary lift stations and a backup generator for Well No. 8; acceptance of the low construction bid from Helm Group for the Galena and Laurel lift-station projects and Well No. 8 generator in the amount of $2,036,116; award of multiple demolition contracts for five residential properties; and purchase of a skid-steer brush mulcher attachment for $17,878.

Manager Boyer and Director Siegel explained the engineering work was charged on phases and time-and-materials and said the city expended the original $350,000 authorization earlier in the year because of an unusually busy construction season (utility permits, fiber and other private work in the right-of-way, sewer-lining contracts, bridge reviews, and site development). “We are at a point we need more fee,” Siegel said. He noted the contract’s services produce fee revenues in some cases (right-of-way permit fees) that offset costs and that the engineering work has helped the city recover permit fees in excess of the contract spend.

Alderman Stacy and Alderman Sanders pressed for more transparency about line-item time-and-material accounting and questioned whether the city had been billed for work without sufficiently detailed invoices. Stacy asked when the emergency work that led to invoicing delays occurred and requested clearer documentation of material quantities and labor hours; Sanders called for an itemized list showing what Fairgram has performed and how that work aligns with the master services scope before approving additional funding.

For the lift-station construction work, the city held a bid opening September 30. Helm Group was the low bidder at $2,036,116; council approved award to Helm Group. Director Siegel said the work includes new pumps, motors, variable-frequency drives, controllers, a backup generator for Well No. 8, and associated electrical work.

Demolition contracts: Council awarded demolition/asbestos-abatement work at multiple addresses to Kleppner Excavating, Albert & Son Earthworks and Fisher Excavating with combined contract amounts described in staff report; the council approved the recommended low bidders.

The brush-mulcher purchase — a skid-steer attachment priced at $17,878 from Helm Truck and Equipment — was approved using savings from other utility equipment line items.

Votes: The Fairgram additional-services amendment passed 7–1. The construction-observation contract for the lift stations passed 5–3. The Helm Group construction low bid and the demolition contracts each passed unanimously (8–0). The brush-mulcher purchase passed 6–2.

Staff said the work is time-sensitive: lift-station bidding and award allows work to proceed this season; demolition work addresses public-safety and blight concerns at selected addresses; and the brush mulcher will assist crews and contractors clearing overgrown catch basins and right-of-way areas.