Paradise council ends progressive design‑build, orders new RFQ for local wastewater treatment plant

The Paradise Town Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to change course on the town’s sewer project procurement, directing staff to end the current progressive design‑build contract and to solicit new proposals for a local wastewater treatment facility design.

Council members said they wanted more competition for the construction phase of the revised, locally focused project. Public works staff and the town’s owner’s‑agent said the change preserves much of the work already completed while opening the construction phase to competitive bidding.

The council’s action follows months of technical work and public meetings. The town had previously pursued a regional export option that would have conveyed wastewater 18 miles to Chico; at an August special meeting the council chose an alternative that uses a local treatment approach (a hybrid gravity/low‑pressure collection system and aerated lagoon treatment with percolation/evaporation ponds). Mountain Cascade had been the progressive design‑build partner; Corolla was engaged as the design subcontractor.

Under the motion the town will terminate the PDB agreement with Mountain Cascade and take assignment of the Corolla design contract so that previously completed design and environmental work may be carried forward. Council instructed staff to immediately advertise a request for qualifications for wastewater treatment facility design services and to bring contract recommendations back to the council in December 2025. Town staff said the RFQ and subsequent design work are budgeted within existing CDBG‑DR planning grants and related allocations.

Council members and staff acknowledged the risks and tradeoffs: cancelling or reworking the PDB could cost time, but advocates for the change said the community needed a transparent, competitive path to construction given the revised, local scope.

Mark Maddox, public works director, told the council the RFQ is expected to take three to six months to complete and that design‑phase work is eligible for reimbursement under existing planning grants. Maddox said HDR (the town’s owner’s‑agent) and the Corolla design team would continue supporting the town during the transition.

The motion passed unanimously. Motion: "Terminate the existing PDB contract, assume the Corolla agreement, and issue an RFQ for wastewater treatment facility design services," motion by Council member Cullerton, seconded by Council member Lisonbee; vote: Boland—yes; Cullerton—yes; Lang—yes; Lisonbee—yes; Mayor Crowder—yes.

What happens next: staff will issue the RFQ for treatment facility design; the council expects to return to the topic in December for contract award and to continue environmental and siting work in parallel.

Why it matters: this decision redirects a multi‑million‑dollar infrastructure project toward a locally sited treatment approach and changes the procurement path so the construction contract can be competitively bid. The council framed the vote as an effort to retain momentum while responding to community preference for more public competition in selecting builders.