Lake Elmo awards $1.2487 million contract for I‑94 lift station force-main replacement; approves $25,000 testing contract

The Lake Elmo City Council on July 15 accepted bids and ordered contract award for the I‑94 Lift Station force-main improvements (Resolution 2025‑055), accepting a low bid of $1,248,683 from A1 Excavating LLC.

Staff described the work as replacing a failing 8‑inch sanitary force main with a new 16‑inch HDPE force main to accommodate ultimate development flows and replacing a failing 90‑inch corrugated metal pipe culvert on Hudson Boulevard near the lift station. Staff said the line was upsized during final design and that additional work and utility crossings discovered in final design contributed to a higher final cost than earlier estimates. Funding for the project was described as a combination of sanitary sewer and storm sewer enterprise funds.

Council approved two motions: the resolution accepting bids and ordering contract award to A1 Excavating LLC for $1,248,683, and a separate motion authorizing the city administrator to enter into a materials-testing contract for construction-phase services not to exceed $25,000. Both motions passed by voice vote. Council discussion noted the emergency nature of prior work stemming from a prior force-main break and emphasized constructability constraints and utility crossings as drivers of cost.

Staff indicated the three lowest bids were close and recommended awarding the contract. The city engineer and council asked that staff seek to minimize change orders and flagged the site's utility complexity as a probable source of additional costs during construction.