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Norwalk approves $5.236 million contract for Norwalk Central water tower, opts for larger tank and lighting
Summary
After a public hearing, Norwalk City Council approved plans and three resolutions to award and execute a $5,236,000 contract for a 1.5-million-gallon Norwalk Central water tower with LED uplighting; the DNR and SRF previously approved a 1.25-million-gallon tank for SRF funding but not the larger capacity.
The Norwalk City Council held a public hearing July 17 and approved the plans, contract award and contract-and-bond documents to construct the Norwalk Central water tower.
At the public hearing staff said the city solicited four bids and the lowest responsive bidder met the project requirements. The council voted to award Gerard Tank & Steel the contract to build a 1,500,000-gallon tank with LED lighting for $5,236,000.
Wayne, a city staff member, told council the Iowa Department of Natural Resources approved engineering work and authorized State Revolving Fund (SRF) funding for a 1,250,000-gallon tank; the DNR also allowed construction of a 1,500,000-gallon tank but indicated the SRF funds would not cover the incremental cost to increase capacity. Staff said the bid alternates indicated the cost to increase the base tank by 250,000 gallons was modest compared with the overall project and that the lighting option (LED uplighting plus perimeter fixtures to illuminate the city logo) was also competitively priced.
Council discussed funding and budget implications: staff said the city budgeted $6,300,000 for the project, leaving room to include the larger tank and lighting in the approved budget. Council member Poole asked whether local-option sales tax revenue could be used for the lighting; staff confirmed the local-option sales tax may be used for governmental purposes and that lighting would consume a substantial portion of that tax if used from the general fund.
A resident who spoke during public comment supported the larger tank and lighting as an economical decision because the tank vendor could mobilize the work.
The council passed three related resolutions in sequence: final approval of plans and specifications (resolution 7b), awarding the contract to Gerard Tank & Steel (resolution 7c), and approving the contract and bond (resolution 7d). Votes were recorded in the meeting minutes with council members voting yes on each measure.
Ending
With the final resolution approved, staff will proceed with contract execution and project mobilization. The DNR/SRF approval remains in place for the base tank size; the city will fund the incremental cost of the larger capacity from local sources within the adopted project budget.
