Evansville utility approves $2.94 million design amendment for Phase 2 water-plant upgrades

The Evansville Water and Sewer Utility board on April 15 approved Amendment Number 2 to its professional services agreement with Black & Veatch Corporation to perform additional planning and design work for Phase 2 of the city’s water‑treatment plant improvements.

The amendment authorizes $2,941,355 for design and bid‑phase services for three separate bid packages the utility plans to release this year, board members were told. “This amendment? Yes, it is for $2,941,355,” Logan Goof, a utility staff member, told the board when asked about the dollar amount.

The utility said the amendment will fund further evaluation and rehabilitation work needed to extend the existing plant’s useful life and to increase reliability and resiliency. Goof said the three bid packages break the work into a low‑service portion, work on outfalls, and a general miscellaneous package around the plant — a structure the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission and the Office of Utility Consumer Counselor encouraged to increase bidder interest.

The board was presented preliminary class‑5 cost estimates for the three packages that put construction in the neighborhood of $20 million, Goof said. He noted class‑5 estimates carry wide tolerances: “Class 5 is defined as anywhere from minus 50% to plus 100%,” he said.

Board members asked about schedule, permitting and whether the amendment’s fee will necessarily be expended if final construction estimates come in lower. Goof said the agreement is a not‑to‑exceed engineering contract and that two of the packages are expected to be ready for bid by the summer, with the third later in the year and subject to permitting timelines for river work. “For the outfall package, there’s a number of permits for work on the river,” he said.

The board approved the amendment after a motion and second; votes were recorded as aye and the motion carried. The amendment does not include construction‑phase services, which staff said would be procured separately.

Why it matters: The design work advances a multi‑package plan for plant rehabilitation and capacity reliability that the utility previously included in a 2024 funding application to the Indiana Finance Authority. If construction proceeds near the early estimate range, the project would represent a major capital outlay for the utility that could affect future bonding and construction schedules.

Meeting context: The item generated extended staff presentation and several board questions about scope, cost tolerance, bidding strategy and permitting; staff characterized the cost estimate as preliminary and subject to refinement as design advances.