Ashland approves $99.78 million contract for wastewater treatment plant expansion

The City of Ashland Board of Commissioners on Oct. 23 approved a $99,782,000 contract with Judy Construction Company to expand and improve the Ashland Water Resource Recovery Facility, and approved related agreements intended to support construction.

The contract was adopted on second reading and final approval during the board’s meeting. City staff also presented and the board approved an amended access agreement with Cleveland Cliffs Steel Corporation that allows the city to stage construction trailers and materials on Cleveland Cliffs property for the wastewater plant expansion. City staff said the access agreement is being extended slightly — into 2030 — to cover the construction period.

Why it matters: The expansion is the city’s largest single construction contract referenced in the meeting and is central to the utilities department’s capital work. Commissioners and staff emphasized the project’s procurement history and the need to secure property and contractor access so construction can proceed without delay.

City staff brought a separate first-reading amendment to the agreement with Strand Associates Inc. to retain the firm for final design and construction engineering services for the plant expansion. Staff said the amendment language was updated at the grantor’s recommendation to include specific references to the applicable Code of Federal Regulations citations for the STAG grant paperwork.

The board also approved a first-reading real estate purchase agreement for $16,000 to acquire a portion of property owned by the William D. Ingalls and Janet M. Ingalls Family Living Revocable Trust. Staff said the purchase is intended to provide a site for an ARPA-funded booster pump station and emergency generator after a previously selected property proved unusable because of title/lien issues.

Discussion focused several times on the bid process and local hiring. Commissioner Renfro defended the procurement, noting multiple bids were received and that the chosen firm was the lowest. Renfro said the city’s prior decision to add a CSO (combined sewer overflow) charge to the utility bill has produced funds for the plant, telling the commission the city “has $24,000,000 to go towards that wastewater treatment plant.” He also pushed back on criticism that the city was unfriendly to unions, saying, “when you kinda act like we're not friendly to unions, that's bullcrap.”

Commissioners asked for clarifications about contract timing and access. A staff member said the Cleveland Cliffs access agreement had originally been expected to run through 2029 and is being extended through 2030 to ensure coverage for the construction period. Staff said the Strand amendment is largely a cleanup to include federally required CFR citations requested during grant processing.

What happens next: With the contract ordinance adopted and the related items approved or advanced on first reading, staff will proceed with the contractual steps necessary to start the project. Specific construction start dates and a detailed schedule were not specified during the meeting.

Ending: The board approved the contract and related actions and instructed staff to complete the remaining procurement and documentation steps required for work to begin; no construction timeline was provided at the meeting.