Tom Noble, the district's director of engineering, opened packages for a three-year levee-maintenance contract at the Board of Sanitary Commissioners' Jan. 7 meeting and summarized changes to the scope of work.

Noble said interns measured levee slopes and identified rutted areas that could hinder certification; the staff updated the scope to require contractors to maintain slopes at a higher setting to promote rehabilitation and to specify equipment capable of safely mowing identified slopes. "We did include the tieback...we did identify areas that mowers are not to be on to try to promote growth," Noble said.

Two bids were read into the record. Nobles listed one bid from Buff and Landscaping & Snow Removal with a three-year bid figure the bid materials list as $14,500 per month and spring/fall cleanup charges in the documents; a second bid from Smith Family Services listed a three-year bid shown as $15,900 per month with separate spring/fall cleanup amounts listed in the packet.

Noble recommended that the board table award pending departmental review, committee recommendation and legal review. The chair agreed to take the bids "under advisement" and to send the materials to legal before any contract approval.

Why it matters: Levee maintenance affects flood protection and levee certification; contractor equipment and slope-maintenance practices can influence long-term levy integrity and future repair costs.

Quote: "We are going to scrutinize this a little more than we have in the past...we took the time to do these slope measurements to make sure that the proper equipment is being used," Noble said.

Next steps: Staff will continue committee review and forward the bid materials to legal; the board did not award a contract at the Jan. 7 meeting.