Lake Jackson council awards $12.5 million contract to replace Lift Station No. 1

The Lake Jackson City Council on Feb. 17 voted to award city project number 25050977 to R and B Group Incorporated for the replacement of Lift Station No. 1 and associated force main work for $12,503,354.05, including base work, selected alternates and a 10% city contingency allowance.

Staff reported the city received eight bids and the apparent low bid came in below the engineer’s estimate. The project is financed from the $20,000,000 utilities bond the city approved last year, staff said. An engineering consultant described the planned process: build a new lift station adjacent to the existing structure, set up a bypass to route flows during testing and commissioning, then demolish the old station once the new system is commissioned.

Council discussed the operational implications: Lift Station No. 1 carries a large portion of the city’s wastewater and staff explained there will be a bypass and testing before switching over. The engineering consultant estimated major mechanical and electrical components typically account for roughly 30–35% of costs on a job this size and said, with scheduled maintenance, pumps and equipment should last 25–50 years.

Councilwoman Seth moved to award the contract and a second was recorded; the council voted by voice and approved the award. Staff listed an approximate 450‑day construction period.

Next steps: the city manager is authorized to execute the contract and staff will coordinate the bypass, staging and construction schedule with the contractor and the city’s engineering consultant.