Sandpoint council approves LOI to seek state funding for wastewater plant replacement

The Sandpoint City Council on Jan. 8 approved submission of a letter of interest (LOI) to the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality to pursue state funding for replacement of the city’s aging wastewater treatment plant, voting unanimously on the resolution during a special meeting.

The LOI, which must be submitted by the Jan. 10 state deadline, opens the city to ranking and potential funding consideration by DEQ but does not commit Sandpoint to a particular technology or to accepting funds, city staff and the city’s engineering consultants said. The council also heard a detailed update on the preliminary engineering report (PER) and next steps for design, public outreach and funding.

Holly Ellis, Sandpoint’s public works director, told the council the LOI would “position us for the wastewater treatment plant reconstruction project for different state fundings,” and said staff will add public open houses and a project web page to keep residents informed as the PER advances.

Keller Associates, the city’s engineering firm, presented technical details and funding context. Kyle Meschko, project manager for Keller Associates, said the LOI is a request for DEQ to rank the project and that “there’s no commitment, no obligation” in submitting. He told councilors that the project cost estimate has risen since the facility plan was prepared and that the PER includes a higher contingency to reflect market uncertainty.

Why it matters

Sandpoint’s wastewater facilities include infrastructure more than 50 years old and face capacity and operational constraints during peak…