Lewiston council directs staff to seek public vote on Main Street bond, not to exceed $25 million

Lewiston City Council voted at a March work session to send a proposed general‑obligation bond for downtown Main Street infrastructure to voters, with council approval to pursue a ballot question not to exceed $25 million and a not‑to‑exceed 30‑year term.

The vote followed a presentation by Dustin Johnson, Lewiston’s public works director, and financial briefings from Clearwater Financial and Welch Comer. Johnson framed the package as a combined project to replace aging water mains, address deep wastewater segments and undersized stormwater, and rebuild the street surface and sidewalks. He said the concept-level total is $33,300,000 but noted “this is a work in progress.”

Why it matters: downtown Main Street contains water lines dating to about 1910 and repeated water main breaks, Johnson said. The council was presented with two cost bands — a full build with streetscaping and other aesthetic components and a reduced version that excludes local improvements (an LID option). Johnson said the full concept is $33.3 million, and the reduced project comes in at about $24.5 million; he told the council the city has roughly $6,000,000 available to apply to the project now.

Key details and timeline - Project scope: replacement or repair of water mains (identified as the principal driver), targeted wastewater replacements (some sections up to 20 feet deep), upgraded stormwater conveyance, fiber and sidewalk vault work, and surface reconstruction. Johnson said water replacement, stormwater and transportation are being coordinated to limit repeated disruption to downtown businesses. - Concept cost and…