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Marysville council approves $607,057 contract to refurbish water pumps after staff says only one bid was received
Summary
The Marysville City Council voted unanimously Jan. 12 to award a $607,057 contract to Northern Pump of Lansing to refurbish 15 water/wastewater pumps, motors and VFDs. Staff said five firms attended the pre-bid but only one submitted a bid; councilors expressed confidence in staff oversight.
Marysville — The Marysville City Council on Jan. 12 voted unanimously to award a $607,057 contract to Northern Pump of Lansing to refurbish water and wastewater pumps, motors and variable-frequency drives (VFDs).
City water staff described the contract as a staged, multi-year refurbishment that covers 15 of roughly 20 pumps maintained by the city. "So the plan on this project is gonna take about 2 to 2 and a half years because we can't just take them all out at the same time," said Barry Bridal, the water staff member who presented the project.
The council's vote followed questions from councilors about competitive bidding. "Is there any concern with only getting one bid back?" asked a council member during the hearing. Bridal said he solicited multiple firms, noted that five companies attended the pre-bid walkthroughs and two or three returned for a follow-up, but only Northern Pump submitted a bid. He said contractors sometimes avoid projects they see as risky without full engineering documentation and that the city had previously saved money on an in-house project he managed.
Council member Dunne moved to award the contract; Mayor Pro Tem Winston supported the motion. A roll call vote recorded all present members voting yes. The council also discussed contingency funds and the plan to use outside specialists (HRC) for two particularly old or complex pumps that staff said they cannot handle in-house.
Votes at a glance
- Consent: Approval of city council minutes (Dec. 15, 2025) — motion passed unanimously. - Check disbursements (12/15/2025, 12/19/2025, electronic disbursements and payment to Sherkey Electric): motion passed with one abstention (Council member Sherkey). - Payroll (01/16/2026): motion passed unanimously.
The pump project is intended as preventive maintenance and replacement of aging components. Bridal told the council that some pumps date to the early 2000s and that the newest units in the package were rebuilt in 2018. He estimated the work will result in essentially new pumping equipment upon project completion and said the timing was meant to balance plant availability and contractor scheduling.
The council's approval authorizes staff to proceed with the lowest responsive bid from Northern Pump; staff said they will manage staging and bring in specialists where necessary. The council did not require further review before awarding the contract.
