Council briefs residents: sewer bids open this week for $7–8M project; $4M in grants secured

City staff and council provided an update on a long-planned sewer project, which the council said has $4,000,000 in grant funding but engineering estimates near $7–8 million.

The council said the project has been in planning for several years and that bids were publicly posted, with a pre-bid meeting attended by numerous contractors; staff said they expected bids to be opened Thursday. The chair told the room: “We’ve gotten 4,000,000 in grants on it,” and cautioned that the engineering estimate and the bids may differ; he said the project could cost roughly $7–8 million and that bids might come in higher.

Contract specifications call for about 280 work days for the scope of work, and staff said the contract documents require prior notice for any digging and driveway interruptions. The council explained the financing approach: loans will be taken first and grants will be applied as the project expenses are incurred, and that the city has attempted to budget responsibly to qualify for grants. The chair and staff emphasized they cannot yet say how much the sewer bill will change — that will depend on the final bid amounts and payment schedule.

Residents asked about driveway access, construction notice, whether irrigation will be interrupted and grant expiration; staff said the bid package includes timelines and notification requirements and that grants were earmarked for the project.