Bountiful City Council approves multiple contracts, equipment purchases and a downtown lease

The Bountiful City Council on Tuesday approved a series of contracts and purchases across the police, power and public works departments, confirmed a community appointment, released a utility easement to allow a property owner to build a detached garage and approved a lease for a proposed downtown restaurant that includes minimum hours of operation.

Council members said the approvals are intended to preserve reliability of public infrastructure, support ongoing street and power projects, and add evening vitality to Main Street.

The council approved procurement and contract actions recommended by staff: a contract with Johnson Controls for replacement of an aging hot-water pump and three-way valve at the police station ($69,089); replacement of a police-station boiler ($44,854); purchase of 15 fire hydrants from Ferguson Waterworks ($52,875); a one-year extension with All Star Striping for street striping (staff cited a revised annual amount of roughly $160,000); upgrades to the dispatch center lighting from Schupp Electric ($33,571); a relay panel for the Northwest substation from Specialty Electric Inc. ($180,375); materials for preventative work on the Echo hydro line (Anixter Westco, $36,841); 52 pressure-treated poles from Stella-Jones ($62,325); directional-boring work for streetlight and feeder projects (Salt Lake Drilling, $306,376); two replacement inverters for the dispatch battery/inverter system ($32,118); and a battery bank for the Southeast substation ($24,632). Council members and staff said funding for most items is in existing departmental budgets or will be paid from contingency and next-year capital budgets as appropriate.

The council also approved a lease of the city-owned property at 135 South Main Street to Lucky Slice Pizza. The lease amendment approved at the meeting requires the tenant to open each day by 11 a.m. and to remain open at least until 8 p.m., language council members added to support evening activity downtown. The council approved the appointment of Taylor Cook to the Bountiful Community Service Council and authorized the release of a utility easement on the south side of Lot 166 (property owner: Mr. Tran) to allow construction of a detached garage; staff said affected utility providers have signed off on the release.

Votes at a glance - Approve minutes of Feb. 25 meeting — passed (unanimous) - Approve expenditures > $1,000 for Feb., March 5 and March 12 and the January 2025 financial report — passed (unanimous) - Johnson Controls contract for police hot-water pump and three-way valve — approved, total $69,089 - Johnson Controls boiler replacement at police station — approved, $44,854 - Purchase of 15 fire hydrants (Ferguson Waterworks) — approved, $52,875 - All Star Striping contract renewal (annual pricing ~ $160,000) — approved - Dispatch-center lighting upgrades (Schupp Electric) — approved, $33,571 - Relay panel for Northwest substation (Specialty Electric Inc.) — approved, $180,375 - Materials for Echo hydro line preventive work (Anixter Westco) — approved, $36,841 - Purchase of 52 pressure-treated poles (Stella-Jones) — approved, $62,325 - Directional boring and related projects (Salt Lake Drilling) — approved, $306,376 - Replacement inverters for dispatch center — approved, $32,118 - Battery bank for Southeast substation — approved, $24,632 - Release of utility easement on Lot 166 (Mr. Tran) — approved - Appointment of Taylor Cook to the Bountiful Community Service Council — approved - Lease with Lucky Slice Pizza at 135 South Main Street (tenant required to open by 11 a.m. and remain open until at least 8 p.m.) — approved

Context and staff notes City staff and department directors told the council the police-station heating and hot-water equipment were original to the building (installed in 1996) and are beyond their expected service life, and that Johnson Controls has been the firm maintaining those systems. Power Department staff and the Power Commission described multiple equipment purchases as routine replacements or preventive maintenance needed to preserve reliability for substations, hydro assets and the dispatch/control center. Public works staff said bulk purchase of hydrants is more cost-effective and will support upcoming mainline and replacement projects. Several items will be paid from existing maintenance or capital accounts and some are drawn from contingency or next year’s budget forecasts, staff said.

What the council did not do No ordinance or code changes were introduced or adopted at this meeting. None of the contracts required a public hearing or change to municipal code.

Meeting details Most motions passed on voice votes and the meeting concluded with the council adjourning to seek pizza. Council members who spoke during the procurement and contract items included Councilwoman Price and Councilwoman Bradshaw; technical and procurement presentations were made by Alan Johnson (Power Director), Charles Benson (public works), Craig Christiansen (water infrastructure), Lieutenant Sheldon (police facilities), Lloyd Sheaney (city engineer) and the city attorney, Brad Jepsen, for the lease matter.