Polk County commissioners approve landfill engineering contract, AECOM algae pilot and agriculture center design; adopt traffic-calming measures

The Polk County Board of County Commissioners on June 3 approved a slate of contracts and local measures, including professional engineering for a landfill expansion, a state grant-funded pilot to test algae-harvesting technology, design services for a proposed Polk County Agriculture Center and traffic-calming installations in two neighborhoods.

Key board actions (approved by voice vote): - North Central Landfill Phase 4 engineering: The board authorized an agreement with Jones Edmunds and Associates for professional engineering services related to Phase 4 of the North Central Landfill in an amount not to exceed $2,940,797.77. County staff said phase 6 operations are expected to reach capacity in 2029; the Phase 4 design work will include permitting with state and federal agencies and is expected to conclude most services by January 2029. Staff estimated Phase 4 would provide roughly 16 years of additional capacity and noted the county owns additional expansion acreage at the site.

- AECOM algae-removal pilot (state grant INV 51): The board approved a sole-source agreement with AECOM Technical Services to test its proprietary advanced algae cultivation/harvest technology on Upper Saddle Creek waters, in a one-time contract…