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Utility board approves claims, contracts, PFAS litigation participation and several engineering agreements
Summary
At the Sept. 20 meeting the board approved routine claims and invoices, a consent agenda of non-chemical contracts, bid acceptance and service agreement for Blue Chip Pool SCADA, a letter of engagement for PFAS class-action litigation with Ice Miller, and a GRW culvert design contract.
The City of Bloomington Utility Service Board approved a series of routine financial items, contract awards and legal engagements at its Sept. 20 meeting, voting unanimously by voice on each item.
The board approved minutes from the Aug. 25 regular meeting and accepted a prior bid opening from Aug. 25. The board also approved standard invoices totaling $453,020.17, utility claims totaling $84,871.26, and wire transfers totaling $613,436.89 (listed in the meeting as transfers for Sept. 20, 2025). These routine financial approvals were taken by voice vote.
Utilities Director Catherine Zager presented the consent agenda, which the transcript records as totaling $95,739.39 for non-chemical contracts. Zager listed individual contracts on the consent agenda, including: Cassidy Electric LLC ($20,000 for on-call medium-voltage electrical services); Price Electric Inc. ($20,000 for on-call low-voltage electrical services); Dotlik Crane Inc. ($1,800 for crane use at Henderson Pump Station); Electric Plus Inc. ($5,175 to install wiring for a battery charger at Monroe Water Treatment Plant and a separate $3,970 item to run three-phase power for new carbon at Monroe); Troy Risk Inc. ($10,367.50 for a phase-2 environmental site assessment at 6570 S. Old State Road 37); Jacoby Carbons Inc. (carbon priced per pound for Monroe WTP); Airgas Specialty Products Inc. (aquaammonia supply price); Gonzales Companies LLC ($16,000 for detention-pond civil plans and construction support); Aquatic Informatics Inc. ($8,426.89 for WIMS software license/support); and MRI Building and Envelope LLC ($10,000 for on-call roofing services). The consent agenda was approved as recommended by staff.
The board accepted bids and awarded a contract for SCADA improvements at Blue Chip Pool to Toric Engineering, then approved a separate service agreement with the same firm for the project. Mark Menefee (engineering) presented the Toric items; both motions passed by voice vote.
City legal presented a letter of engagement with Ice Miller LLP to participate in ongoing class-action litigation related to PFAS (forever chemicals) against manufacturers including 3M and DuPont. Chris Wheeler said the engagement does not require payment by the city; the law firm will be paid from any future recovery. Wheeler said additional outside testing for PFAS at the utility’s source and plant will be performed as part of the engagement. The board approved the Ice Miller engagement by voice vote.
The board approved a professional-services agreement with GRW Engineering Inc. for design and permitting of a culvert replacement on Lower Cascades (design not to exceed $181,860). Jane Fleague described the work as an ~80-foot culvert replacement that will require floodway permits (IDNR, IDEM and 401/404 reviews); the board approved the contract by voice vote.
Other items recorded in staff reports included a welcome of new instrumentation-and-control specialist Derek Belcher and a brief summary that the council budget presentation had received follow-up questions that staff responded to in writing.
All items in this summary were approved by voice vote at the Sept. 20 meeting and will be processed through the usual contracting and finance workflows described during the meeting.
