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Marion council approves engineering agreements for Midway Court and downtown stormwater work
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Summary
The council approved engineering agreements with Warner Schifrin to design sewer, stormwater and road work for Midway Court (construction estimate $686,985) and a downtown package of drainage improvements (combined estimate $512,691); staff said the figures are construction estimates subject to bidding.
Marion — The Marion City Council voted to authorize two engineering agreements that lay out designs and bidding for a set of infrastructure projects: one focused on Midway Court housing infrastructure and a second covering multiple downtown stormwater and drainage fixes.
City staff described the Midway Court agreement as covering three main elements: wastewater sewer relining to serve existing and planned housing, stormwater work to address a collapsed storm pipe through Pyramid Park by redirecting flow to nearby creek capacity, and a new east-west connector road intended to create additional residential building lots. Cody, the staff member leading the presentation, said the construction estimate for the Midway package is $686,985 and that the engineering agreement will carry the project through design and bidding.
A second engineering agreement groups several downtown drainage problems — Market Street near the library, areas behind the civic center and Washington School, East Main near the post office, and a recurring backup on Union Street — into a single bidding package for efficiency. Cody said the combined construction estimate on the downtown projects is $512,691 and that the numbers are preliminary estimates to be refined by competitive bids.
Council members discussed phasing, bid strategy and the scope of each contract. The council approved the engineering agreements by roll-call votes; staff noted the construction estimates will be subject to the formal bidding process and may change. One vote record in the meeting was amended to note an abstention on a prior related item.
Why it matters: the Midway and downtown projects include sewer and stormwater improvements that the city says will support housing development and reduce recurring flooding and sidewalk freeze issues downtown. Approving engineering agreements moves the projects into detailed design and prepares them for procurement.
Staff will return to council with bid results and construction contracts if the bids are within budgeting expectations.
